untruthful

untruthful — adjective

1. describing someone who says things they know are false, or a statement, claim, o

1.adjective
Definition

describing someone who says things they know are false, or a statement, claim, or report that is deliberately wrong and meant to mislead

Example

The politician's untruthful claims about the budget were quickly exposed by journalists.

untruthful + noun [claim/report/statement]

Nikos admitted he had been untruthful about his qualifications during the job interview.

untruthful about + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • untruthful statement
  • untruthful claim
  • untruthful answer
  • untruthful about
  • be untruthful
Synonyms
  • dishonest

    broader meaning that covers cheating, stealing, and lying; untruthful is more specific to speech and writing

  • lying

    more direct and strongly accusatory than untruthful, which can sound slightly softer

  • deceitful

    emphasises a deliberate intention to trick others, carrying a stronger negative moral judgement

Antonyms
  • truthful

    straightforward opposite; describes someone who tells the truth or a statement that is accurate

  • honest

    broader in meaning, covering fairness and sincerity beyond just factual accuracy

Grammar Patterns

be untruthful

be untruthful about something

untruthful + noun

Usage Note

Unlike dishonest, which covers any form of deception including cheating or stealing, untruthful almost always refers specifically to what someone says or writes. It is more common in formal or written English than in casual conversation. The phrase be untruthful about something requires the preposition about before the topic.

Common Mistakes

He told an untruthful to the teacher.
He was untruthful to the teacher.
Untruthful is an adjective, not a noun; use untruth or lie for the noun form.
She was untruthful her age.
She was untruthful about her age.
The preposition about must follow untruthful when mentioning the topic.

Word family

  • untruth
    nounC1
  • untruthfully
    adverbC1
  • untruthfulness
    nounC1
  • truthfulness
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Untruthful, dishonest, lying, and deceitful all describe a lack of honesty, but they differ in scope and force. Untruthful is the narrowest — it focuses specifically on what a person says or writes, and often appears in formal contexts such as journalism or legal language ('untruthful statements,' 'untruthful testimony'). Dishonest is broader and more common in everyday speech; it covers cheating, stealing, and any kind of deception, not just false words. Lying is more direct and personal — calling someone a liar is a strong accusation in most cultures. Deceitful adds an element of cunning or scheming; a deceitful person actively plans to trick others. For everyday use, dishonest is the safest choice. In formal writing about claims or reports, untruthful fits better. Use lying when you want to be blunt, and deceitful when the deception involves a hidden plan.

dishonest ↗lying ↗deceitful

Common collocations

Nouns

  • untruthful statement
  • untruthful claim
  • untruthful answer
  • untruthful testimony
  • untruthful person

Adverbs

  • deliberately untruthful
  • clearly untruthful
  • blatantly untruthful

Phrases

  • be untruthful
  • prove untruthful
  • found to be untruthful

Prepositions

  • untruthful about
  • untruthful with

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'not') to truthful, which comes from truth (Old English trēowþ, 'faithfulness, honesty') plus the suffix -ful. The word has been used in English since the late 1500s to describe statements or people that are not honest or accurate.