pathological lying
Chronic untruthfulness disorder
Pathological lying is compulsive, habitual dishonesty that goes beyond ordinary lies told for clear advantage.
A pathological liar fabricates stories reflexively, sometimes without apparent motive, and may struggle to distinguish their inventions from reality.
The term appears in psychology and psychiatry but is used loosely: His pathological lying destroyed every relationship he had.
- compulsiveUnable to stop oneself
- compulsive behaviorUncontrollable repetitive action pattern
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
mythomania · tall tales · dishonesty · gaslighting · narcissism · personality disorder · denial · believable · charm · fiction · elaborate · storytelling · mask · convince · tangled · web · web of lies · excuse
- psychopathypsychopathy, sociopathy, superficial charm, manipulativeness, callousness
- deceptive disordersmythomania, Munchausen syndrome, Munchausen by proxy
- compulsionsOCD, compulsion, obsession, handwashing, hand washing
pathological lyingbrutal honesty
Unsparing directness in speech
straight shooting · candor · transparency · forthrightness · veracity
pathological lyingemotional authenticity
Sincere expression of inner states
moral rectitude · good character · trustworthiness · reliability · sincerity
pathological, lying, pathology, pathologic, pathologist, pathologies, pathos, pathetic, pathetically