truth

¹

[ trooth ]

noun

, plural truths [troo, th, z, trooths].

1. the true or actual state of a matter:

   He tried to find out the truth.

   Synonyms: fact

   Antonyms: falsehood

2. conformity with fact or reality; verity:

   the truth of a statement.

   Synonyms: veracity

   Antonyms: falsity

3. a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like:

   mathematical truths.

4. the state or character of being true.

   Antonyms: falsity

5. actuality or actual existence.
6. an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.
7. (often initial capital letter) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience:

   the basic truths of life.

8. agreement with a standard or original.
9. accuracy, as of position or adjustment.

   Synonyms: exactness, precision

10. honesty; sincerity; truthfulness.

    Synonyms: openness, frankness, candor

    Antonyms: falsity

11. Archaic. fidelity or constancy.

Truth

²

[ trooth ]

noun

1. So·journ·er [soh, -jur-ner, soh-, jur, -ner], Isabella Van Wagener, 1797?–1883, U.S. abolitionist, orator, and women's-rights advocate, born into slavery.

truth

/ truːθ /

noun

1. the quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual

   the truth of his statement was attested

2. something that is true as opposed to false

   you did not tell me the truth

3. a proven or verified principle or statement; fact

   the truths of astronomy

4. usually plural a system of concepts purporting to represent some aspect of the world

   the truths of ancient religions

5. fidelity to a required standard or law
6. faithful reproduction or portrayal

   the truth of a portrait

7. an obvious fact; truism; platitude
8. honesty, reliability, or veracity

   the truth of her nature

9. accuracy, as in the setting, adjustment, or position of something, such as a mechanical instrument
10. the state or quality of being faithful; allegiance

Confusables Note

See truism.

Derived Forms

• ˈtruthless, adjective

Other Words From

• truthless adjective
• truthless·ness noun
• mis·truth noun
• non·truth noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of truth¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English treuthe, Old English trēowth (cognate with Old Norse tryggth “faith”); true, -th ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of truth¹

Old English triewth ; related to Old High German gitriuwida fidelity, Old Norse tryggr true

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in truth, in reality; in fact; actually:

   In truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire.

More idioms and phrases containing truth

• gospel truth
• home truth
• moment of truth
• naked truth
• unvarnished truth

Example Sentences

Yes, there are some signs the economy might be recovering, but the truth is, we’re just beginning to understand the pandemic’s full impact, and we don’t yet know what the virus has in store for us.

From FiveThirtyEight

As they gain a foothold, you begin to wonder if there is some truth in them.

From Nautilus

By bringing an external source of truth in the form of how much it would cost to run a paid search campaign on the exact keyword portfolio, you highlight how valuable it is for other companies to grab the first results.

From Search Engine Watch

Panpsychism also offers a solution to the even harder problem of how to ground objective truths about value.

From Nautilus

They don’t feel like they know enough to change their own lives, to change the country, when the truth is, they hold the power to be the difference.

From Fortune

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.

From The Daily Beast

Taraji manages to bring an equal measure of truth to the mother in her character.

From The Daily Beast

The media tend to frame situations like this as aberrations, but in this case, quite the opposite is the truth.

From The Daily Beast

Their immediate response tells an important truth about a police slowdown that has spread throughout New York City in recent days.

From The Daily Beast

And I need to ask why their truth makes me so defensive, as if my truth is the only truth.

From The Daily Beast

And to tell the truth, she couldn't help wishing he could see, so he could make the game livelier.

From Project Gutenberg

Truth is a torch, but one of enormous size; so that we slink past it in rather a blinking fashion for fear it should burn us.

From Project Gutenberg

We are apt to think of these little ones as doing right only when under compulsion: but this is far from the truth.

From Project Gutenberg

To be wiser than other men is to be honester than they; and strength of mind is only courage to see and speak the truth.

From Project Gutenberg

Nothing but an extreme love of truth could have hindered me from concealing this part of my story.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accuracy
• authenticity
• certainty
• fact
• legitimacy
• principle
• truthfulness
• veracity

More About Truth

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. 

In a related sense, truth can also mean an agreement with reality or facts.

• Used in a sentence: We doubted that there was any truth to his claims of seeing Bigfoot.

Truth can also mean a fact or a statement that nobody disagrees with.

• Used in a sentence: Parents often have to tell their kids sad truths when a pet dies.

Where does truth come from?

The first records of truth come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English noun trēowth and is related to the Old Norse tryggth, meaning “faith.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to truth?

• truthful (adjective)
• truthless (adjective)
• truthlessness (noun)
• half-truth (noun)
• untruth (noun)

What are some synonyms for truth?

• reality
• fact
• authenticity
• sincerity

What are some words that share a root or word element with truth? 

• truthiness
• truth serum
• truth or consequences
• truth is stranger than fiction
• Truth will out

What are some words that often get used in discussing truth?

• lies
• honesty
• facts
• accuracy
• correct

How is truth used in real life?

Truth is a very common word that means reality as it actually is or statements that describe reality correctly.

The plain truth is vaccination in the U.S. will take many months and won't magically end the pandemic.

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) January 16, 2021

As a journalist or commentator, your job is not to maintain neutrality but to tell the truth. Neutrality is a judge's job, not yours.

— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) January 16, 2021

The words we speak matter. That’s why I believe we need to speak words of truth and hope not only to ourselves but to others as well. Here are 20 things we should say more often if we want to make the world more positive: pic.twitter.com/6DzXSDzZtV

— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) February 5, 2021

Try using truth!

Is truth used correctly in the following sentence?

It was hard for him to face the truth that his cooking was bad because he had fooled himself into thinking he was a master chef.