ve·rid·i·cal
və-ˈri-di-kəl 
1
2
: not illusory : genuine
It is assumed that … perception is veridical …—
George Lakoff
George Lakoff
ve·rid·i·cal·i·ty
və̇ˌridəˈkalətē
plural -es
: the quality or state of being veridical : truthfulness, genuineness
Did you know?
We'll tell only the truth here: veridical comes from the Latin word veridicus, which itself is from two other Latin words: verus, meaning "true," and dicere, meaning "to say." Verus is an ancestor of several English words, among them verity, verify, and very (which originally meant "true"). The word verdict is related to veridical on both sides of the family: it also traces back to verus and dicere. Veridical itself is the least common of the verus words. You're most likely to encounter it in contexts dealing with psychology and philosophy.
Examples of veridical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
28 Oct. 2024
Unless, that is, there is a veridical image imprinted in the victims’ mind/brain, one which can be extracted using a method that depends simultaneously on the necessity of speech and the impossibility of its communicating the truth.
—
Will Self,
Harper's Magazine,
23 Nov. 2021
People tend to think of hallucination as a kind of false perception, in clear contrast to veridical, true-to-reality, normal perception.
—
Anil K. Seth,
Scientific American,
1 Sep. 2019
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Adjective
There appears to be a close relationship between the brain areas responsible for veridical, imagined, and hallucinatory perception, though more data is needed.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
28 Oct. 2024
Unless, that is, there is a veridical image imprinted in the victims’ mind/brain, one which can be extracted using a method that depends simultaneously on the necessity of speech and the impossibility of its communicating the truth.
—
Will Self,
Harper's Magazine,
23 Nov. 2021
People tend to think of hallucination as a kind of false perception, in clear contrast to veridical, true-to-reality, normal perception.
—
Anil K. Seth,
Scientific American,
1 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Veridical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veridical. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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