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# falsehood

«falsehood» in Mova's school dictionary: **not true** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a falsehood, falsehoods; falsehood — uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) A lie; something said that is not true. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#m1)

2) The state of being untrue: the truth or falsehood of a claim. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In formal writing and old stories «falsehood» is a polite or stiff word for a lie; in lessons on truth and tricks children learn to tell truth from falsehood. Phrases: «tell a falsehood», «truth and falsehood», «spread falsehoods».

### examples

- He was punished for telling a falsehood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#x1)
- The website was full of falsehoods. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#x2)
- We must learn to tell truth from falsehood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#x3)
- Her story was a mix of truth and falsehood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#x4)
- The judge asked the witness not to say any falsehood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#x5)
- Spreading falsehoods about people is unkind. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#x6)
- Still he scorned to tell a falsehood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/#x7)

### note

Formal; in everyday speech say «lie». Opposite: truth. Related: false, falsify.

### In the corpora

- ["Alternative facts" means falsehoods, things that are not true.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/23-fees-bugs-and-spin/21/)
- [Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood,](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/ISA.1235/)
- [Thou destroyest them that speak falsehood; the LORD abhorreth the man of blood and of deceit.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.47/)
- [Behold, he travaileth with iniquity; yea, he conceiveth mischief, and bringeth forth falsehood.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.80/)
- [They speak falsehood every one with his neighbour; with flattering lip, and with a double heart, do they speak.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.148/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «falsehood» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/falsehood/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.