Definition of mendaciousnext

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See All Example Sentences for mendacious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mendacious
Adjective
  • Such allegations are widespread but misleading.
    William Proctor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Hartsuch, a proponent of using ivermectin to treat COVID-19, alleges that in December 2021, Kent Nebel, then the executive director of the Board of Medicine, indicated that 17 Iowa doctors had complaints filed against them for spreading false or misleading information about COVID-19.
    Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Laptop twee tries to pretend those simpler times are accessible, which makes for exaggerated, juvenile glee—a dishonest document of 2026, but a wildly appealing one.
    Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2026
  • The election took place amid a surge in violent crime and corruption that has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.
    Franklin Briceño, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • When the news breaks of faraway civilian casualties — an erroneous air strike on a school that relied on outdated intelligence, for example — the mind takes refuge in abstractions and statistics.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
  • But those who in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made erroneous predictions of imminent mass starvation erred by underestimating the world‑changing potential of grasses.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • In his earlier testimony on Thursday morning, Espinoza told Wise County District Attorney James Stainton that Horner had been untruthful throughout the investigative process.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The child abuse pediatrician said the claims in the post, which mirrored those on the fundraising page, were also untruthful.
    Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 1 Apr. 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
Adjective
  • For me, the possible false note lay not in Aramayo’s performance but in the script.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Local police too, have stated that false posts circulating in WhatsApp groups, including claims of worker deaths and exaggerated reports of violence and arrests, have contributed to the escalation of unrest.
    Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Mendacious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mendacious. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on mendacious

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster