FALSEHOOD Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

falsehood

noun

ˈfȯls-ˌhu̇d

Definition of falsehood

as in delusion

a false idea or belief the possibility of a perpetual motion machine is one falsehood that has been disproved by modern physics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truth
verity

as in lie

a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive several falsehoods in the witness's testimony that may be grounds for perjury

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deception

the quality or state of being false scientists eventually demonstrated the falsehood of the claim that prehistoric fish did not evolve lungs and legs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deceit

the tendency to tell lies a cynic who believes that politics are a veritable fount of falsehood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of falsehood Yet no one was held accountable, not the Bush administration officials who orchestrated the war based on falsehoods, nor the journalists and editors who failed to do their jobs. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 The second, given by Stille, enlisted a recurrent theme in Eco’s fiction — how falsehood often trumps truth — to discuss the crisis of liberal democracy and its institutions. — Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026 Enough is enough -- this spread of blatant and baseless falsehoods must stop. — Mike Toole, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 Another example of say anything, even falsehoods, to get elected. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for falsehood

Recent Examples of Synonyms for falsehood

Noun

In contrast to the gorgeous monochrome visuals, this is a land that stinks of complicity and delusion — of opportunists desperate to scramble onto the right side of history.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Their passions and delusions strengthen through their symbiosis.

— Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of delusion

Noun

The ad also accuses his Democratic opponent, Brian Poindexter, of telling lies about him.

— Lara Korte The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
The allegations hurled by state officials against Orange County were based on flat-out lies.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of lie

Noun

Nefarious actors have long been keen to fill the gap through what international law describes as coercion, deception and abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability.

— Robert P. George, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026
The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Zishan Zeng, was charged with two counts of elder exploitation and two counts of theft by deception.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of deception

Noun

The best way Ray can think of to do so is to tail her shady husband, Dom (Bobby Cannavale) — all the way into a sordid (but still vaguely family-friendly) web of deceit, murder, blackmail and gangland drama.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
These rosy reveries gradually darken as Wilde remembers succumbing to hedonism, deceit, debt, and disgrace.

— Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of deceit

Noun

Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
In eighth-century myths the aes sidhe are literally called the tribe of the gods, and there’s a story as well, in an account of Patrick’s life written in the late seventh century.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of myth

Noun

Wildwood is a dark tale, with whispers of a witch, set against the beautiful yet formidable backdrop of rural New England.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
The tale is energized by the thoughtful performances of Hanns Zischler, as Mann, and Sandra Hüller, as the author’s daughter Erika, who accompanies him while reviving conflicts from her own past.

— Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of tale

Noun

Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of deceitfulness

Browse Nearby Words

false

falsehood

falsehoods

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Style

“Falsehood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falsehood. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of falsehood

noun

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