unvarnished truth
Facts without embellishment
The unvarnished truth is the plain, unadorned reality of something, without any attempt to make it more palatable or pleasant.
Varnish gives wood a glossy, attractive finish; unvarnished truth lacks that polishing layer of tact, euphemism, or spin: She asked for the unvarnished truth about her chances.
The phrase emphasizes blunt honesty, even when uncomfortable.
- rawIn original state
- no holds barredWithout rules or limits
- honestFree from deception
- bluntDull or tactlessly direct
- candidHonest and direct
brutal · brutal honesty · stark · plain · naked · bare · straight · straight shooter · frank · tell it like it is · harsh · reality · facts · confession · direct · sincere · genuine · warts and all
- authenticityauthentic, genuine, real, fake, counterfeit
- Blunt honestyblunt, candid, direct, frank, honest
- candorfrankness, directness, bluntness, candor, straightforwardness
- honestyhonesty, candor, sincerity, dishonesty, frankness
- truthsfacts, fact, reality, verity, verities
- Candor Phrasesto be honest, honestly, frankly, speaking frankly, if i'm being honest
unvarnished truthlie
Deliberate falsehood
falsehood · deception · fabrication · untruth · bald-faced lie
unvarnished truthwhite lie
Harmless minor falsehood
diplomatic language · polite fiction · spin · euphemism · gentle letdown
unvarnished truthhalf-truth
Deceptive incomplete statement
evasion · equivocation · prevarication · obfuscation · hedging
unvarnished, truth, varnished, varnish, varnishing, varnishes, truths, truthful, truthfully