veracity
vuh-RAS-ih-tee
/vəˈræsəti/
Conformity to facts; accuracy; habitual truthfulness.
Refers to either the factual accuracy of a claim or a person's structural habit of telling the truth.
The story behind the word. Rooted in Latin 'veritas' and 'verus' (true). It entered English via Middle French in the 15th century to describe formal truth and factual compliance.
Word relationships
- truthfulness: Truthfulness is general English; veracity is formal/legal terminology.
- accuracy: Accuracy refers to correctness in measurements/facts; veracity includes moral commitment to truth.
- mendacity: Mendacity is habitual untruthfulness or lying.
- falsity: Falsity is the quality of being untrue.
Commonly confused with
- voracity: Voracity means extreme greediness/appetite (voracious reader), whereas veracity means truthfulness.
Word family
- veracious (adjective): Truthful and accurate.
Collocations
- question the veracity
- verify the veracity
- test the veracity
- doubt the veracity
Idioms & expressions
- moment of truth
Example sentences
- "The defense attorney began to question the veracity of the witness's testimony." Legal cross-examination
- "Fact-checkers spent days verifying the veracity of the leaked documents." Journalistic standards
Memory hook
VERIFY the VERACITY: You verify something to confirm its veracity. Factual truth tested and proven.
When not to use
Do not use to describe emotional warmth; it is an intellectual and factual term.
Fun facts
- Harvard University's official motto is 'Veritas', Latin for truth, sharing the exact same root as veracity.
Related words
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