as in lies
a statement that is only partly true and that is intended to deceive people
I'm tired of all these half-truths—I want to know the real story.
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Recent Examples of half-truths
Some information is useful, some is harmful and some are half-truths that can cost you real money.
—
Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
People who rely on half-truths often underestimate how visible their behavior becomes.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
In this environment, influencers and politically motivated accounts now function as de facto broadcasters, often spreading half-truths, distortions or outright falsehoods with little accountability.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
Over the next 90 years, tourism in Natchez blossomed around half-truths and omissions.
—Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Social media spread half-truths faster than public-health leaders could correct them.
—Robert Pearl, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
In a field crowded by lore, half-truths, and marketing copy, Chartreuse distinguishes itself by being the real deal.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2025
In a world where images are so numerous and so difficult to understand, truth itself can be in danger, threatened by false interpretations and distorted, misleading half-truths.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
The intrigue in The Martians comes from its author’s patient demonstration of how half-truths and subjective observations can snowball into consensus.
—David Kamp, Air Mail, 23 Aug. 2025
Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
People who rely on half-truths often underestimate how visible their behavior becomes.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
In this environment, influencers and politically motivated accounts now function as de facto broadcasters, often spreading half-truths, distortions or outright falsehoods with little accountability.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
Over the next 90 years, tourism in Natchez blossomed around half-truths and omissions.
—Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Social media spread half-truths faster than public-health leaders could correct them.
—Robert Pearl, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
In a field crowded by lore, half-truths, and marketing copy, Chartreuse distinguishes itself by being the real deal.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2025
In a world where images are so numerous and so difficult to understand, truth itself can be in danger, threatened by false interpretations and distorted, misleading half-truths.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
The intrigue in The Martians comes from its author’s patient demonstration of how half-truths and subjective observations can snowball into consensus.
—David Kamp, Air Mail, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-truths
Noun
-
Ten months earlier, Bush had made the decision to invade Iraq after his administration’s historic campaign of lies convinced the American people that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Those who support him turn a blind eye to his incessant lies, mistreatment of the media and everyone who opposes him, and his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While the story takes place in contemporary times, some of the characters have extraordinary gifts and tell tall tales of a world beyond the realm of most people.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Its accounts of outsize personalities, judges’ infighting, culturally insensitive photo shoots, manipulative producing, network executives betraying producers who in turn betrayed talent—all of this comes standard with tales from the annals of the entertainment industry.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Here are two more stories of the subterranean, one sinister and one salty.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Some clients said they were told to make up stories of abuse that became the crux of their lawsuit.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
My request to the Birdo animation studio was that the movements have a certain weight and intensity to appear real, without the exaggerated distortions typical of conventional 2D animation.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Margarita Khemlin, a Russian-language writer born and raised in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv after the war, began writing only after the fall of the Soviet Union, with full awareness of the distortions littering Soviet speech.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Half-truths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-truths. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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