truthiness

American  

[troo-thee-nis] / ˈtru θi nɪs /

noun

1. the quality of seeming to be true according to one's intuition, opinion, or perception without regard to logic, factual evidence, or the like.

   the growing trend of truthiness as opposed to truth.

2. Rare. truthfulness or faithfulness.

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truthiness British  

/ ˈtruːθɪˌnəs /

noun

1. informal (of a belief, etc) the quality of being considered to be true because of what the believer wishes or feels, regardless of the facts

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Etymology

Origin of truthiness

First recorded in 1820–30; truthiness def. 1 was coined in 2005 by Stephen Colbert (1964– ), U.S. comedian and TV host; truth + -y ¹ + -ness

Example Sentences

Indeed — truthiness, these days, far too often trumps the actual truth.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025

Perhaps, though, in these truthiness times, many of us are trying to steer in a better direction.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2019

It’s a seductive thesis, and, speaking as someone who spends too much money on GrubHub and too much time thinking about work, it’s one that has a certain truthiness.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2019

“Say your sources want to remain confidential,” Feldman advised, a clever answer redolent of truthiness.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2019

Even when his characters are at their most deadpan, their most inexplicably ignorant, there’s a wink—something real lurks beneath the mask, a hint of truthiness.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 18, 2018