falsehood
Statement lacking truth
Falsehood is a lie or untrue statement: The article was full of falsehoods.
It also refers to the quality of being false or the practice of lying: a culture of falsehood and deception.
The word carries a slightly formal or literary tone compared to simply calling something a lie.
Deliberately untrue statement
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
- whopperOutsized thing or untruth
- tall taleWildly exaggerated story
- prevaricationMisleading speech avoiding directness
untruth · misstatement · perjury · invention · canard · story · distortion · exaggeration
Biased information for influence
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- fake newsIntentionally deceptive media content
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
- spinRapid rotation around axis
distortion · inaccuracy · smear · conspiracy theory · misreport · misrepresentation · speculation · erratum
Deliberate violation of trust
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
- double-dealingDeceptive practice of betrayal
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
disloyalty · broken promise · faithlessness · two-timing · sellout · Judas kiss
Deliberate deception or fraud
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- hoaxDeliberate deception for effect
- conArgument against
- scamDishonest money-making scheme
swindle · sham · pretense · fakery · forgery · counterfeit · masquerade · subterfuge
Deceptive outward appearance
- guiseExternal manner shown
- veneerDecorative outer layer
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- masqueradeDeceptive act or costume party
impersonation · playacting · insincerity · pose · front · affectation · simulation · artifice
Error in reasoning
- sophismMisleading logical trickery
- casuistryApplying principles to particulars
- faulty reasoningInvalid logical process
- logical errorFlaw in reasoning
quibbling · equivocation · invalid argument · speciousness · rationalization
Stubbornly held false belief
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- figmentImagined thing, unreal
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
wishful thinking · misbelief · misconception · pipe dream · misapprehension · fool's paradise
fabrication
Deliberately untrue statement
prevarication · untruth · misstatement · perjury · invention · canard · story · distortion · exaggeration · mendacity
propaganda
Biased information for influence
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- fake newsIntentionally deceptive media content
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
spin · distortion · inaccuracy · smear · conspiracy theory · misreport · misrepresentation · speculation · erratum · canard
treachery
Deliberate violation of trust
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
- double-dealingDeceptive practice of betrayal
duplicity · disloyalty · broken promise · faithlessness · two-timing · sellout · Judas kiss
trickery
Deliberate deception or fraud
scam · swindle · sham · pretense · fakery · forgery · counterfeit · masquerade · subterfuge · chicanery
facade
Deceptive outward appearance
masquerade · impersonation · playacting · insincerity · pose · front · affectation · simulation · artifice · act
fallacy
Error in reasoning
- sophismMisleading logical trickery
- casuistryApplying principles to particulars
- faulty reasoningInvalid logical process
logical error · quibbling · equivocation · invalid argument · speciousness · rationalization
delusion
Stubbornly held false belief
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- figmentImagined thing, unreal
- chimeraUnrealistic fantasy or hybrid
self-deception · wishful thinking · misbelief · misconception · pipe dream · misapprehension · fool's paradise
falsehoodhonesty
Truthfulness, sincerity
truthfulness · integrity · candor · veraciousness · frankness
falsehoodgenuineness
Quality of being real
authenticity · realness · the real thing · authentication · legitimacy