truthful

adjective

truth·​ful ˈtrüth-fəl How to pronounce truthful (audio)
: telling or disposed to tell the truth
a truthful witness
truthfully adverb
truthfulness noun

Examples of truthful in a Sentence

We were not entirely truthful with her about where we went last night. I like keeping the house clean but, to be truthful, I hate vacuuming.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Johnson, however, is questioning if Maxwell would offer truthful testimony. Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 23 July 2025 The Press has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don’t even exist. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 17 July 2025 The records indicate Glenn was to provide truthful testimony against Renfroe, and no additional jail time. Christina Hall, Freep.com, 8 July 2025 The Colombian pop superstar — famous for her truthful hips — graced Snapdragon Stadium on Thursday night, kickstarting the Californian leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women No Longer Cry) World Tour. Olivia Petty, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for truthful

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1567, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of truthful was circa 1567

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Truthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truthful. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

truthful

adjective
truth·​ful ˈtrüth-fəl How to pronounce truthful (audio)
: telling or being in the habit of telling the truth
truthfully adverb
truthfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on truthful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!