truth

The word “truth” means what is actually the case; facts as opposed to lies or fiction. In plain terms, what is real or factually correct, as opposed to what is false or made up.

“Truth” is pronounced trooth (/tɹuθ/ in IPA).

Here is “truth” used in a sentence: “She finally told him the truth about where she'd been.”

Words with a similar meaning to “truth” include straight goods, veraciousness, veracity, veridicality and verity.

The opposite of “truth” — its antonyms — are falsehood, falsity, lie, nonsense and drivel.

“Truth” is a noun.

The word “truth” comes from Old English. From Old English trēowþ, related to "true" — the two words share the same Germanic root meaning firm or faithful.

“Truth” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

A fact is a single piece of information that can be verified, such as water boiling at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level. Truth is the wider quality of matching reality, the state of things actually being as described. Facts are the building blocks, while truth is the overall accuracy they add up to.

Truth is about what is actually the case, independent of any person. Honesty is a human quality, the habit of telling the truth and not deceiving. Someone can be honest yet mistaken, sincerely stating something that turns out to be false, because honesty is about intent while truth is about reality.

The main opposites are falsehood, lie, and fiction. A lie is a deliberate untruth told to deceive, while a falsehood is simply something that is not true, whether intended or not. Fiction refers to invented stories, which are not lies because no one is meant to believe them literally.

Philosophers debate this. Factual truths about the physical world are generally treated as objective, true regardless of opinion. But people also speak of personal or emotional truths, meaning what feels real to an individual. In everyday use, truth usually means what genuinely matches reality, as opposed to lies or invention.