economical with the truth
Deliberately withholding facts
Economical with the truth is a euphemism for lying or deliberately misleading, typically by omitting key facts rather than stating outright falsehoods.
The phrase carries an ironic edge—"economical" suggests prudent restraint, applied sarcastically to someone withholding information they should share: The minister was being economical with the truth about the budget shortfall.
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
- half-truthDeceptive incomplete statement
- little white lieMinor harmless falsehood
- doublespeakDeliberately misleading language
sugarcoat · dissembling · disingenuousness · propaganda · equivocation · white lie · prevarication · misleading · misrepresent · obfuscate · spin doctoring · distort · creative accounting · paltering · fabricate · untruthful · bending the truth · stretching the truth
- Euphemismspass away, passed away, passed on, expecting, with child
economical with the truthhonest
Free from deception
truthful · forthright · candid · sincere · frank
economical with the truthtransparent
Allowing light through
open · forthcoming · full disclosure · cards on the table · open book
economical with the truthbrutally honest
calling a spade a spade · telling it like it is · warts and all · unvarnished · unsparing
economy, economic, economical, economics, economize, economizing, uneconomical, economized, uneconomic