as in dishonest
telling or containing lies
that lying son of a gun told me that the used car had never been in an accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deception
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in deceiving
to make a statement one knows to be untrue
would I lie to you about that?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in sitting
to occupy a place or location
I left the book lying on the counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hiding
to remain out of sight
paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lying
Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Lior Torenberg explains what sets the Sad Girl Grifter (SGG) apart from her lying, scheming peers.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
The notion of reputational damage is alien to someone whose image was long ago tarnished beyond repair by grifting, lying, bullying, and double-dealing.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Our guide gives you the best strategies to handle lying and deception at every stage and smart ways to teach your child the value of honesty.
—Sarah Vanbuskirk, Parents, 10 Jan. 2026
The lying, the calls for political violence, the nonstop gaslighting just cannot become anything approaching normal.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In it, Buzzard accused Brewer of lying and of seeking media attention, while Brewer could be heard asking to leave twice.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Lowest lying yards along Blue Creek are flooded.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Pretti is lying face up on the ground, motionless.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
These findings suggest that such planets can retain significant amounts of water despite lying outside the classical habitable zones—and this doesn’t apply to planets orbiting their stars too closely.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Laborious yet lithe lads and lasses have loyally leapt to luminate the lexical labyrinths of logic locking the lucrative lotto, longing to lure the lavish luxury lying latently in local landmarks.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
In a July 29 post to the social media platform, Minniear included snaps of himself and some picturesque locations, as well as a shot of Goulding lying nude in bed with her arm, side and thigh visible but face mostly obstructed.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But despite that, Noem and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino have been publicly and brazenly lying about both fatalities.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
In Milwaukee County, the District Attorney’s Office has long maintained a list of law enforcement officers accused of lying, breaking the law, or acting in a way that erodes their credibility to be a witness.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Martin also admits to lying about the job offer while testifying in a July 2023 grand jury session.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
He was found dead lying face up on his hotel bed with no signs of trauma, according to a Monday report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
—Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Noun
Crawford said the lying in wait allegations could not be proved because his client was just standing by a gate when the attack happened.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Lior Torenberg explains what sets the Sad Girl Grifter (SGG) apart from her lying, scheming peers.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
The notion of reputational damage is alien to someone whose image was long ago tarnished beyond repair by grifting, lying, bullying, and double-dealing.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2026
Our guide gives you the best strategies to handle lying and deception at every stage and smart ways to teach your child the value of honesty.
—Sarah Vanbuskirk, Parents, 10 Jan. 2026
The lying, the calls for political violence, the nonstop gaslighting just cannot become anything approaching normal.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In it, Buzzard accused Brewer of lying and of seeking media attention, while Brewer could be heard asking to leave twice.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Lowest lying yards along Blue Creek are flooded.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
Borrower Defense is a discharge program for federal student loans that allows borrowers to request cancellation on the basis of certain forms of school misconduct, such as misrepresenting admissions selectivity or program costs, or lying about graduate earnings and career prospects.
—Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Pretti is lying face up on the ground, motionless.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
These findings suggest that such planets can retain significant amounts of water despite lying outside the classical habitable zones—and this doesn’t apply to planets orbiting their stars too closely.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Laborious yet lithe lads and lasses have loyally leapt to luminate the lexical labyrinths of logic locking the lucrative lotto, longing to lure the lavish luxury lying latently in local landmarks.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
In a July 29 post to the social media platform, Minniear included snaps of himself and some picturesque locations, as well as a shot of Goulding lying nude in bed with her arm, side and thigh visible but face mostly obstructed.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But despite that, Noem and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino have been publicly and brazenly lying about both fatalities.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
In Milwaukee County, the District Attorney’s Office has long maintained a list of law enforcement officers accused of lying, breaking the law, or acting in a way that erodes their credibility to be a witness.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Martin also admits to lying about the job offer while testifying in a July 2023 grand jury session.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
-
Like the other characters in the book, Harper is a stock figure, the brainiac child, but her fearlessness in the face of a crumbling, dishonest world reinvigorates the type.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The American public gained a negative impression of McCarthy–many seeing him as bullying, reckless, and dishonest.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Named one of the 10 Best Books of 2025 by The New York Times, Angel Down follows Private Cyril Bagger, who has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of WWI through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The drama about power, deception, and the complex bond between father and son is set in 1930s New York as international financier Gregor Antonescu’s empire faces collapse.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Behind the scenes, Newsom’s staff have taken a similar approach and tone, calling for the tabloid to change language in stories that the team feels is inaccurate or misleading.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
An administration official would make a claim about what happened, and later evidence would find these contentions to be misleading.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This week, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi gave a master class in obfuscation, prevarication, and pettiness.—
John Ficarra,
Air Mail,
11 Oct. 2025
-
There was no picture, there was no drawing, there has been so many lies, so much prevarication, so much cover up.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s an extra $1,780 or so purely because the IRS concluded the erroneous position was intentional rather than mistaken.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
How to opt out Incorporating AI directly into Gmail could pose risks for Google, given that large language models can sometimes present erroneous or misleading information.—
Julia Doyle,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
An honor council, comprised of administrators, teachers, and members of the student government, would sit in judgment on cases of alleged cheating.—
Nell Freudenberger,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In the wake of the cheating, FIS has modified its rules and brought in a coordinator to oversee screening of gear and hired former Austrian ski jumper Mathias Hafele to work as equipment expert.—
Brian Melley,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Supporters of recent state AI regulations said the measures will address potential threats to public safety and personal privacy, and to counter any mendacious actions created by AI, while not hindering innovation.—
Hope Moses,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The video’s footage amplifies the flagrant dishonesty of the Administration’s statements about the threat Alex Pretti posed to the multiple officers who were physically restraining him before he was killed.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
-
His pardons also disproportionately favored crimes involving dishonesty, Osler wrote.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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