truth
Etymology

From Middle English trouthe, truthe, trewthe, treowthe, from Old English trēowþ, trīewþ ("truth, veracity, faith, fidelity, loyalty, honour, pledge, covenant"), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþō, from Proto-Indo-European *drū-, from Proto-Indo-European *deru-, equivalent to true + -th.

Pronunciation Noun

truth (uncountable)

  1. True facts, genuine depiction or statements of reality.
    The truth is that our leaders knew a lot more than they were letting on.
    • 1831 December 27, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Beauty—Genius”, in H[enry] N[elson] C[oleridge], editor, Specimens of the Table Talk of the Late Samuel Taylor Coleridge. […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], published 1835, →OCLC ↗, page 19 ↗:
      The truth depends on, and is only arrived at, by a legitimate deduction from all the facts which are truly material.
  2. Conformity to fact or reality; correctness, accuracy.
    There was some truth in his statement that he had no other choice.
  3. The state or quality of being true to someone or something.
    Truth to one's own feelings is all-important in life.
  4. (archaic) Faithfulness, fidelity.
    • 1800, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “Christabel. Part II.”, in Christabel: Kubla Khan, a Vision: The Pains of Sleep, London: […] John Murray, […], by William Bulmer and Co. […], published 1816, →OCLC ↗, page 32 ↗:
      Alas! they had been friends in youth; / But whispering tongues can poison truth; […]
  5. (obsolete) A pledge of loyalty or faith.
  6. Conformity to rule; exactness; close correspondence with an example, mood, model, etc.
    • 1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC ↗:
      Ploughs, […] to make them go true, […] depends much upon the truth of the ironwork.
    • 1840, Joseph Whitworth, A Paper on Plane Metallic Surfaces or True Planes:
      The process of grinding is, in fact, regarded as indispensable wherever truth is required, yet that of scraping is calculated to produce a higher degree of truth than has ever been attained by grinding.
  7. That which is real, in a deeper sense; spiritual or ‘genuine’ reality.
    The truth is what is.
    Alcoholism and redemption led me finally to truth.
    • 1819 May, John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1820, →OCLC ↗, stanza 5, page 116 ↗:
      "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"—that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
  8. (countable) Something acknowledged to be true; a true statement or axiom.
    Hunger and jealousy are just eternal truths of human existence.
    • 1813 January 26, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC ↗:
      It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
  9. (physics, dated) Topness; the property of a truth quark.
  10. (games) In the game truth or dare, the choice to truthfully answer a question put forth.
    When asked truth or dare, he picked truth.
Synonyms Antonyms Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Verb

truth (truths, present participle truthing; simple past and past participle truthed)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To assert as true; to declare; to speak truthfully.
    • c. 1636 John Ford (dramatist), The Fancies Chaste and Noble
      Had they [the ancients] dreamt this, they would have truthed it heaven.
  2. To make exact; to correct for inaccuracy.
  3. (nonstandard, intransitive) To tell the truth.
    • 1966, Nancy Sinatra, These Boots Are Made for Walkin':
      You keep lying, when you oughta be truthin'



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