The Merriam-Webster Dictionary published a timely article in its "Words at Play" series yesterday: Seven Words for Lying. This is not only timely but very useful, given Donald Trump's at-best nodding acquaintance with the truth, as these seven synonyms can be useful to keep all the news reports from sounding the same:
Prevaricate - (verb) to avoid telling the truth by not directly answering a question. Prevarication is the noun.
Palter - (verb) to act insincerely or deceitfully.
Mendacious - (adjective) likely to tell lies. Mendacity is the noun.
Dissemble - (verb) to hide under a false appearance.
Fib - (noun and verb) a trivial or childish lie.
Equivocate - (verb) to use unclear language especially to deceive or mislead someone. Equivocation is the noun.
Perjure - (verb) to tell a lie under oath*. The noun form is perjury.
Don't thank me. Be sorry we need so many different ways to say it, when God Almighty only needed one commandment.
Bilbo
6 comments:
Lying is a national sport lately.
It's a sign of the times: an increased necessity to express when someone else is lying. At least they're better than "fake news."
I knew the last three. Another one I've heard recently is when cops get on the stand and lie to make their case. It's called testilying.
"There are three linds of life: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Benjamin Disraeli
Yes, Mike, we have recent experience with that one!
A good vocabulary lesson.
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