Definition

Noun: A statement that is only partially true, often deliberately omitting important information or including false details, with the intention to deceive, mislead, or create a false impression.

Usage

The word "half-truth" is used to describe a deceptive statement. It is a compound noun. It is typically used in contexts involving dishonesty, manipulation, or incomplete information. It often carries a negative connotation, implying an intent to mislead.

Examples

• The politician's claim was a half-truth; while the statistics were accurate, they ignored the broader context.
• He told a half-truth about his whereabouts, saying he was at the library but omitting that he left early to go to a party.
• Spreading half-truths can be more damaging than telling an outright lie because they are harder to disprove.

Advanced Usage

• "to be a half-truth": To constitute or function as a deceptive partial truth.
  • The advertisement's claim of "all-natural ingredients" is a half-truth, as it contains synthetic preservatives.
• "a tissue of half-truths": A series or collection of interconnected deceptive statements.
  • The report was a tissue of half-truths designed to support a flawed conclusion.

Variants and Related Words

• Half-true (adjective): Describing something that is only partially accurate.
  • That is a half-true statement at best.
• Truth (noun): The quality or state of being in accordance with fact or reality. (Contrasting term)
• Falsehood (noun): The state of being untrue; a lie. (Related, but more absolute)

Synonyms

• Deception: The act of causing someone to believe something that is not true.
• Misrepresentation: The action of giving a false or misleading account of the nature of something.
• Prevarication: The act of avoiding telling the truth by not directly answering a question.
• White lie: A harmless or trivial lie, often told to avoid hurting someone's feelings. (This is a distinct concept, as a "half-truth" is generally not considered harmless.)

Idioms

• A grain of truth in a bushel of lies/half-truths: A very small element of truth within a larger body of falsehood.
  • His elaborate story contained a grain of truth in a bushel of half-truths.

Noun

1. a partially true statement intended to deceive or mislead