half-truth

/'hɑ:ftru:θ/
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half-truth

A politician's half-truth misled the public during the debate.

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.
half-truth

A politician's half-truth misled the public during the debate.

Noun
  1. a partially true statement intended to deceive or mislead