falsehood

noun

false·​hood ˈfȯls-ˌhu̇d 

1

: an untrue statement : lie

2

: absence of truth or accuracy

3

: the practice of lying : mendacity

Synonyms

• delusion
• error
• fallacy
• falsity
• hallucination
• illusion
• misbelief
• misconception
• myth
• old wives' tale
• untruth

Examples of falsehood in a Sentence

the line between truth and falsehood

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Elon Musk spread a falsehood that large numbers of undocumented immigrants are getting Social Security benefits. —Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 18 May 2025

The Context The growth in measles cases comes as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivers an inconsistent message about measles and pushes falsehoods about the measles vaccine. —Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

Social media users are 70% more likely to share or retweet falsehoods than facts, so make sure your content is easy to share. —Lauren Crystal, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

Democracy doesn’t function well when speech is exploited and manipulated to advance falsehoods. —Sander Van Der Linden, Time, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for falsehood

• adulthood
• babyhood
• brotherhood
• cottonwood
• fatherhood
• firewood
• fuelwood
• hardihood
• ironwood
• leatherwood
• likelihood
• livelihood

Kids Definition

falsehood

noun

false·​hood ˈfȯls-ˌhu̇d 

1

: an untrue statement : lie

2

: the habit of lying