truthiness

[ troo-thee-nis ]

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.

truthiness

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of truthiness¹

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

At stake is not just “truthiness,” as comedian Stephen Colbert once called falsehoods in public life, but broader questions over the expectation of truth-telling from political leadership.

From Washington Times

At stake is not just “truthiness,” as comedian Stephen Colbert once called falsehoods in public life, but broader questions over the expectation of truth-telling from political leadership.

From Seattle Times

A shift from links to probabilistic relationships is like moving from Newtonian physics to quantum weirdness, or from truth to truthiness.

From Slate

“The story-ness affects the truthiness.”

From New York Times

Truthiness wins yet again when it’s hard to tell the real from the fiction.

From Los Angeles Times