Synonyms of mendacious

mendacious

adjective

men-ˈdā-shəs 

as in misleading

telling or containing lies

that tabloid routinely publishes the most moronically mendacious stories about celebrities

Synonyms & Similar Words

• misleading
• dishonest
• erroneous
• untruthful
• lying
• false
• fallacious
• untrue
• hypocritical
• insincere
• hypocrite
• perjurious
• two-faced
• smooth-tongued
• double-dealing
• mealymouthed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truthful
• honest
• straightforward
• open
• true
• candid
• earnest
• sincere
• veracious
• moral
• conscientious
• scrupulous
• reliable
• principled
• plainspoken
• trustworthy
• dependable
• virtuous
• honorable
• ethical
• trusty
• righteous
• respectable
• straight
• decent
• upright
• just
• trustable
• right-minded
• upstanding

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective mendacious differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of mendacious are deceitful, dishonest, and untruthful. While all these words mean "unworthy of trust or belief," mendacious may suggest bland or even harmlessly mischievous deceit and when used of people often suggests a habit of telling untruths.

mendacious tales of adventure

When is deceitful a more appropriate choice than mendacious?

The words deceitful and mendacious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing.

the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse

When might dishonest be a better fit than mendacious?

In some situations, the words dishonest and mendacious are roughly equivalent. However, dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.

a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

In what contexts can untruthful take the place of mendacious?

The meanings of untruthful and mendacious largely overlap; however, untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.

an untruthful account of their actions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mendacious

President Trump is mendacious, vengeful, and unscrupulous. —Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025

But future generations in China, those not bound by the same baggage as the Xi family, may someday find their voice and want to overturn Mao’s old mendacious order. —Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2025

At Comedy Central, Colbert rose to prominence playing a slightly exaggerated version of Bill O’Reilly and other unapologetically mendacious Fox News pundits from the George W. Bush years. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025

The true story reveals both how freedom of speech first came to be conceived of as a mechanism for truth, an antidote to falsehood, and the foundation of all liberty—and that, ironically, this new and powerful theory was itself a deliberately mendacious fiction. —Fara Dabhoiwala, Harpers Magazine, 4 June 2025

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