untrue

adjective

un·​true ˌən-ˈtrü 

1

: not faithful : disloyal

discovered his friends were untrue

untrue to one's duty

2

: not according with a standard of correctness : not level or exact

untrue doors

3

: not according with the facts : false

… led the witness almost immediately, in his deposition, into a demonstrably untrue answer

—Renata Adler

untruly

ˌən-ˈtrü-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of untrue

• erroneous
• inaccurate
• incorrect
• wrong
• false

Examples of untrue in a Sentence

He made untrue statements to the press.

Her lover had been untrue.

Recent Examples on the Web

These included the claim that Barack Obama had put Clooney up to it, which Clooney said is untrue. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025

There’s a common, but untrue, narrative that certain sets of scientific dogmas, like the Earth being stationary and the center of the Universe, could not be challenged. —Big Think, 30 Oct. 2025

How to be ready, in the moment, to not lapse into the dream, the spell, of the untrue or (worse) the half-true? —James Parker, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025

These claims are not only untrue, they are being weaponized to damage my reputation and distract from the truth. —Christina Dugan Ramirez , Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for untrue

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

untrue

adjective

un·​true ˌən-ˈtrü 

ˈən-

1

: not faithful : disloyal

2

: not meeting a standard of correctness : not level or exact

3

: not agreeing with the facts : false

an untrue statement

untruly

-ˈtrü-lē 

adverb