falsehood

[fawls-hoo d] /ˈfɔls hʊd/
noun
1.
a false statement; lie.
Synonyms: fabrication, prevarication, falsification, canard, invention, fiction, story.
2.
something false; an untrue idea, belief, etc.:
The Nazis propagated the falsehood of racial superiority.
3.
the act of lying or making false statements.
4.
lack of conformity to truth or fact.
Synonyms: untruthfulness, inveracity, mendacity.
5.
Obsolete, deception.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English falshede. See false, -hood
Synonym Study
1. Falsehood, fib, lie, untruth refer to something untrue or incorrect. A falsehood is a statement that distorts or suppresses the truth, in order to deceive: to tell a falsehood about one's ancestry in order to gain acceptance. A fib denotes a trivial falsehood, and is often used to characterize that which is not strictly true: a polite fib. A lie is a vicious falsehood: to tell a lie about one's neighbor. An untruth is an incorrect statement, either intentionally misleading (less harsh, however, than falsehood or lie) or arising from misunderstanding or ignorance: I'm afraid you are telling an untruth.
Examples from the web for falsehood
  • Since the reader is genuinely unknown, any manner of falsehood can be put forth by the writer.
  • To declare that one wanted to disprove a view would show too much faith in the ability to tell truth from falsehood.
  • Academic freedom is one thing but it does not extend to teaching transparent falsehood as truth or even as a defensible position.
  • In this case, the falsehood did not jeopardize a reliable near future.
  • Maybe he's not afraid of anything except endorsing what he considers to be a falsehood.
  • falsehood, it must be said, is the fuel of this famous movie.
  • War, unlike budget forecasts and campaign coverage, is quite merciless with falsehood.
  • However much the autobiographical subject is lying, you can get something out of that falsehood.
  • Reactionaries have encouraged the fantastic falsehood.
  • Theft became ordinary too, as did falsehood and fabrication.
British Dictionary definitions for falsehood

falsehood

/ˈfɔːlsˌhʊd/
noun
1.
the quality of being untrue
2.
an untrue statement; lie
3.
the act of deceiving or lying
Word Origin and History for falsehood
n.

late 13c., falshede, "deceitfulness," also "a lie," from false + -hood.