half-truth
Misleading partial disclosure
A half-truth is a statement that's technically accurate but deliberately incomplete or misleading.
It withholds context that would change how the information is understood: The ad was full of half-truths designed to make the product seem safer than it was.
Half-truths are often more effective than outright lies because they're harder to refute.
Deliberate falsehood
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
distortion · deceit · dishonesty · insincerity · disingenuousness · mendacity · prevarication · misleading
Ambiguous language avoiding commitment
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- obfuscationDeliberate concealment through confusion
doublespeak · waffling · circumlocution · indirectness · dodging · fudging · paltering · deflection
Choosing with care
- incompleteLacking necessary parts
- partialFavoring one side
- withholdingKeeping from another
- silenceTotal lack of sound
gaps · unsaid · unstated · exclusion · redaction · suppression · censorship · ellipsis
Rapid rotation around axis
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- misinformationFalse data spread unintentionally
- slantOblique angle or bias
bias · skewing · twisting · coloring · selectivity · cherry-picking · framing · narrative
Pretense of virtue
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- veneerDecorative outer layer
- guiseExternal manner shown
masquerade · charade · sham · front · illusion · appearance · pretending · inauthentic
lie
Deliberate falsehood
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
misrepresentation · distortion · deceit · dishonesty · insincerity · disingenuousness · mendacity · prevarication · misleading · falsity
equivocation
Ambiguous language avoiding commitment
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
obfuscation · doublespeak · waffling · circumlocution · indirectness · dodging · fudging · paltering · deflection · sidestepping
selective
Choosing with care
- incompleteLacking necessary parts
- partialFavoring one side
- withholdingKeeping from another
silence · gaps · unsaid · unstated · exclusion · redaction · suppression · censorship · ellipsis · lacuna
spin
Rapid rotation around axis
- propagandaBiased information for influence
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- misinformationFalse data spread unintentionally
slant · bias · skewing · twisting · coloring · selectivity · cherry-picking · framing · narrative · agenda
hypocrisy
Pretense of virtue
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- veneerDecorative outer layer
guise · masquerade · charade · sham · front · illusion · appearance · pretending · inauthentic · two-faced
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- falsehoodslie, lies, lying, fib, fibbing
- truthstruths, facts, fact, reality, verity
- misinformationmisinformation, disinformation, fake news, falsehoods, hoaxes
- propagandapropaganda, brainwashing, disinformation, misinformation, indoctrination
- errorserror, mistake, blunder, blunders, fault
half-truthwhole truth
Complete, unvarnished account
truth · verity · full disclosure · nothing but the truth · full transparency
half-truthcandor
Unguarded truthfulness
forthrightness · honesty · transparency · sincerity · straight talk
truth, half, halfway, truthful, truce, untruth, truthfulness, untruthful, halve