white lies
Socially acceptable untruths
White lies are minor untruths told to avoid hurting someone's feelings or to smooth social situations.
They're considered harmless or even kind—telling a friend their haircut looks great, saying you're busy to avoid an unwanted invitation.
The qualifier *white* suggests innocence, distinguishing these from serious deception: It was just a little white lie.
- fibsPetty falsehoods
- falsehoodsDeliberate untruths
- half-truthsStatements mixing fact and omission
- untruthsAssertions contrary to fact
- lyingStating known falsehoods
fish stories · stretch the truth · bend the truth · sparing · fictions · tales · well-intentioned · good intentions · polite fiction · self-deception · exaggerations · face-saving · saving face · misstatements · falsities · pretexts · subterfuge · flattery
- excusesexcuse, not my fault, overslept, alibi, excuses
- deceptionlying, fake, fraud, cheat, trick
- dirty trickscheating, lying, deceit, trickery, deception
- Hidden Truthssecrets, cover-ups, deception, mysteries, revelations
- honestyhonesty, truthfulness, candor, sincerity, dishonesty
- lieshalf-truths, whoppers, untruths, tall tales
white liesfraud
Intentional criminal trickery
perjury · slander · libel · character assassination · fabrications
white liesbrutal honesty
Unsparing directness in speech
unvarnished truth · raw honesty · candor · full transparency · truth-telling
lie, white, lies, believing, lied, whitewash, whiten, whitish, whites