half-truths

noun

plural of half-truth
as in lies
a statement that is only partly true and that is intended to deceive people I'm tired of all these half-truths—I want to know the real story.

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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 half-truths These accusations are utter nonsense, concocted from distortions, half-truths and lies. — Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 Years of deception, half-truths, and emotional compromises finally surface, forcing Rasheda, Geneva, Naomi, Tiffany, and Bridgette to confront not just the men in their lives, but one another. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026 Her backstory is littered with half-truths and deceptions, including a lie that her mentally disabled younger sister was murdered after being kidnapped. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026 When Juliette gets an audience with the Algorithm, the Mayor tells the voice some half-truths about why someone needs to go to Silo 17 immediately. — Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026 The Soviet Union embraced Lenin’s concept of agitation—the use of emotional slogans and half-truths to influence the masses. — Marc Fisher, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Don’t settle for half-truths; seek meaningful joy. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026 Some information is useful, some is harmful and some are half-truths that can cost you real money. — Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026 People who rely on half-truths often underestimate how visible their behavior becomes. — Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-truths
  1. lies
  2. tales
  3. stories
  4. distortions
  5. exaggerations
Noun
  • These accusations are utter nonsense, concocted from distortions, half-truths and lies.
    — Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Throughout history, pogroms and persecution were fueled by lies that portrayed Jews as less than human.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of lies
Noun
  • If Crystal and Ellis had stayed on that tack — tales about the house at 860 bound together by a sense of its loss — 860 might have the sturdiness of a tearjerker.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • On the surface, his new album Antione’s Son is the same old same old—airy melodies, drug talk, vomiting ad-libs—but punched up by suburban ennui and in-the-weeds romantic tales that makes the music feel refreshingly personal.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of tales
Noun
  • In the 2021 Senate runoff elections in Georgia, this writer did a number of stories following forecasts by Thomas Miller, a prominent data scientist who’s a professor at Northwestern University.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Yet neither of these stories fits the timing or scale of the decline.
    — J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of stories
Noun
  • These weren't the old deep fake videos of the past that are full of distortions.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • These accusations are utter nonsense, concocted from distortions, half-truths and lies.
    — Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of distortions
Noun
  • The Republican president claims historic levels of foreign investment that are a mix of exaggerations and wishful thinking.
    — Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Staffers for major political figures have puzzled over the content, and are growing concerned about the rise of a new wave of videos with errors, exaggerations, misleading comments, and a tone that can be downright weird.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of exaggerations

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Cite this Entry

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

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