verity

noun

ver·​i·​ty ˈver-ə-tē 

plural verities

1

: the quality or state of being true or real

2

: something (such as a statement) that is true

especially : a fundamental and inevitably true value

such eternal verities as honor, love, and patriotism

3

: the quality or state of being truthful or honest

The king-becoming graces, as justice, verity …

—William Shakespeare

Synonyms of verity

• truth
• accuracy
• authenticity

Examples of verity in a Sentence

the local tourist bureau is less concerned with the verity of the legend than the fact that it attracts visitors to the area

no one is questioning your verity—just your memory of events that happened long ago

Recent Examples on the Web

Stevens is the stay-the-course candidate, hewing to the belief that, despite all the Democratic Party’s problems, certain political verities—manufacturing is Michigan’s lifeblood, Israel is a bipartisan issue in America—remain immutable. — Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 10 July 2026

But the passing verities never throw out of style. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026

History is more about understanding change than finding eternal verities. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

But the intellectual self-questioning and anguished artistic experimentation that began in the early twentieth century after the annihilation of Europe’s old verities did not find fertile ground in the United States, either before the war or after it. — Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English verite, borrowed from Anglo-French verité, borrowed from Latin vēritāt-, vēritās, from vērus "true" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at very entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for verity

• charity
• clarity
• parity
• rarity
• alterity
• asperity
• austerity
• celerity
• dexterity
• disparity
• hilarity
• molarity

Kids Definition

verity

noun

ver·​i·​ty ˈver-ət-ē 

plural verities

1

: the quality or state of being true or real

2

: something (as a statement) that is true : fact

3

: the quality or state of being truthful or honest : veracity