Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective untruthful differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of untruthful are deceitful, dishonest, and mendacious. While all these words mean "unworthy of trust or belief," untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.

an untruthful account of their actions

When is deceitful a more appropriate choice than untruthful?

The words deceitful and untruthful 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 would dishonest be a good substitute for untruthful?

While the synonyms dishonest and untruthful are close in meaning, dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.

a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

When might mendacious be a better fit than untruthful?

While in some cases nearly identical to untruthful, 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

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 untruthful However, Miranda, Assad, and Arroyo routinely failed in their obligations to cooperate with the investigation by delaying responses, refusing to provide certain information or documents, and providing inconsistent or untruthful responses. Chris Deubert, Forbes, 19 Nov. 2024 On Wednesday, the defense attacked Marquez’s credibility, questioning his motives for cooperating with the FBI and grilling him over episodes in his background that might paint him as untruthful. Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2024 What is more untruthful: A thing written down, or a sustained deception of the heart? Nicolette Polek, Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024 President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement on June 1 was terribly misguided, and his justification for doing so was misleading and untruthful. Robert N. Stavins, Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2017 See All Example Sentences for untruthful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for untruthful
Adjective
  • Engineers outfitted the device with a heater to melt ice in the winter, a customization that should improve accuracy during Arizona’s freeze-thaw cycles that have long created erroneous measurements.
    Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Vedra and other debt law experts said a high rate of default judgments indicates a system that favors the pursuers over the pursued — and increases the chances someone will be harmed by an erroneous bill.
    Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite these accounts, Day offered a very different picture in an opinion piece published by The Oregonian on Sunday, arguing that national media coverage of Portland and its police paint a misleading and outdated picture.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The apparent protective effect of dopamine agonist drugs could also be misleading.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • At the same time, social media sleuths shared inaccurate information and a man was detained after allegedly trying to drive through a barricade near the church.
    Dave Boucher, Freep.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Others were related to the actual content of the courses, such as a school that used a curriculum that included inaccurate information about permissible blood-alcohol levels for drivers and another school that provided students with answers to final exam questions in advance.
    William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Ventura also rejected the defense’s portrayal of Combs as a changed man, calling it dishonest and dangerous.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • No wonder de Lesseps became a national pariah whose name was synonymous with dishonest incompetence.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In April, the sheriff disclosed further issues, including incorrect citation numbers and amounts.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Aerating in the incorrect season could have negative consequences for your lawn.
    Lauren David, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
Adjective
  • There’s something wrong with them right away.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Mike McDaniel said Wright did nothing wrong, but Miami needed more bodies on defense and special teams.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Evaluating defamation claims where the report contains demonstrably false factual assertions.
    Tim Reynolds, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
  • However, as several independent experts interviewed by NPR note, that claim is false.
    Scott Neuman, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Untruthful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/untruthful. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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