truth
noun
the true or actual state of a matter.
truth
1 American
[trooth]
/ truθ /
noun
truths
plural
-
the true or actual state of a matter.
He tried to find out the truth.
- Synonyms:
- fact
- Antonyms:
- falsehood
-
conformity with fact or reality; verity.
the truth of a statement.
- Synonyms:
- veracity
- Antonyms:
- falsity
-
a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like.
mathematical truths.
-
the state or character of being true.
- Antonyms:
- falsity
-
actuality or actual existence.
-
(often initial capital letter) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience.
the basic truths of life.
-
agreement with a standard or original.
-
accuracy, as of position or adjustment.
-
honesty; sincerity; truthfulness.
- Antonyms:
- falsity
-
Archaic. fidelity or constancy.
idioms
Truth
2
American
[trooth]
/ truθ /
noun
truth
British
/ truːθ /
noun
-
the quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual
the truth of his statement was attested
-
something that is true as opposed to false
you did not tell me the truth
-
a proven or verified principle or statement; fact
the truths of astronomy
-
(usually plural) a system of concepts purporting to represent some aspect of the world
the truths of ancient religions
-
fidelity to a required standard or law
-
faithful reproduction or portrayal
the truth of a portrait
-
an obvious fact; truism; platitude
-
honesty, reliability, or veracity
the truth of her nature
-
accuracy, as in the setting, adjustment, or position of something, such as a mechanical instrument
-
the state or quality of being faithful; allegiance
truth
More Idioms
Usage
What is a basic definition of truth? Truth means the actual state of a matter, an adherence to reality, or an indisputable fact. Truth has several other senses as a noun. The truth refers to the version of reality that we exist in. Putting it more simply, if you are “telling the truth,” you are describing the world as it actually is and not making things up or telling lies.
- Real-life examples: Police detectives try to discover the truth when investigating crimes so that they don’t arrest the wrong person. Criminals often hide or distort the truth so that they won’t get caught.
- Used in a sentence: I told my mom I passed the test, but the truth was that I failed it badly.
- Used in a sentence: We doubted that there was any truth to his claims of seeing Bigfoot.
- Used in a sentence: Parents often have to tell their kids sad truths when a pet dies.
Commonly Confused
See truism.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of truth
First recorded before 900; Middle English treuthe, Old English trēowth (cognate with Old Norse tryggth “faith”); see true, -th 1
Explanation
Truth is something that squares with reality. When you are sworn in to give testimony in a U.S. court of law, you promise to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." When you're cutting to the heart of something, you might start a statement with, "The truth of the matter is..." or "To tell the truth..." When you hear these introductory phrases containing truth, reality is supposed to follow. The American comedian Stephen Colbert coined the term truthiness as a satirical poke at politicians and pundits whose claims often have no basis in reality. Truthiness is what you wish were truth — unconstrained by fact or logic.
Vocabulary lists containing truth
"Hanging Fire"
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Chiasmus from Top AP English Exam Novels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Sovereignty is defended in international forums through diplomacy, historical truth and the peaceful, non-negotiable claim enshrined in our national constitution," the 2 April War Veterans Federation said in a statement.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
"The truth is also that, as things stand today, we cannot confirm that the Emden, Hanover, Zwickau and Neckarsulm plants will be able to operate competitively into the 2030s," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Actors search for emotional truth in imaginary lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
In truth, Norway spends a lot more time thinking about English soccer than the other way round.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
And she started with the truth: “My birth father was Native. I have family beyond the parents who failed me. You have family beyond me and the ways I failed you.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth, on Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Trump previewed this topic in a Truth Social a few minutes before taking the stage.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
These snippets of information are chosen by Natalie Harp, the executive assistant to the president, who also runs his Truth Social account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The same month Sojourner Truth made her speech, a history-making feminist friendship was forged between Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
“Postmodernism purports that there are no objective truths, other than this one objective truth—that there are no objective truths.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Whether the country’s 250th birthday feels like a rare civic milestone to celebrate or not depends, for many, on acknowledging the harsh truths of our era.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
To heal it, I’d need to accept truths that I didn’t want to.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
The part that so many Americans are taught in school is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident … life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2026
Ariston, in turn, was something of a reformist within the Stoic school, holding that studies of nature and logic were a waste of time because such truths were fundamentally beyond human understanding.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
