un ‧ truth /ʌnˈtruːθ, ˈʌntruːθ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ truly , ↑ truthfully ≠ ↑ untruthfully , ↑ true ; noun : ↑ truth ≠ ↑ untruth , ↑ truthfulness ; adjective : ↑ true ≠ ↑ untrue , ↑ truthful ≠ ↑ untruthful ]
formal a lie – used when you want to avoid saying the word ‘lie’
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THESAURUS
▪ lie noun [countable] something you say or write that you know is untrue:
Would you tell lies to protect a friend?
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The allegation is a complete lie.
▪ white lie noun [countable] informal a lie that you tell to avoid upsetting someone:
We all tell white lies sometimes.
▪ fib noun [countable] informal a lie, especially about something that is not very important – used especially by children:
Have you been telling fibs?
▪ porky noun [countable usually plural] British English informal a lie – a very informal use:
He’s been telling porkies again.
▪ falsehood noun [countable] formal a statement that is not true, especially one that is intended to give people the wrong idea about someone or something:
He described the allegations as malicious falsehoods.
▪ untruth noun [countable] formal a lie – used especially when you want to avoid saying the word lie :
Some workers go off and tell untruths about the organisations for which they are working.
▪ fabrication noun [uncountable and countable] formal a story or claim that someone has invented in order to deceive someone, or the act of doing this:
The claim was described as a fabrication by the police prosecutor.
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He dismissed the charges as pure fabrication.
▪ libel noun [uncountable] law the crime of writing lies that could make people have a bad opinion of someone, especially in a newspaper or magazine:
She sued the newspaper for libel.
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libel laws
▪ slander noun [uncountable and countable] law the crime of speaking lies that could make people have a bad opinion of someone, or an untrue statement which does this:
He’s threatening to sue them for slander.
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a slander on the good name of the company
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Linking his name to terrorism was a slander.