falsehood vs falsity what difference

what is difference between falsehood and falsity

English

Etymology

From Middle English falshede, from false + -hede.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfɒlsˌhʊd/

Noun

falsehood (countable and uncountable, plural falsehoods)

1. (uncountable) The property of being false.
2. (countable) A false statement, especially an intentional one; a lie.

   Don’t tell falsehoods.

3. (archaic, rare) Mendacity, deceitfulness; the trait of a person who is mendacious and deceitful.
   • 1984, Witness Lee, Life-Study: Revelation: Volume Three: Messages 34-50, Living Stream Ministry (1999), →ISBN, page 511:

     The false prophet looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. This indicates his falsehood. […] He will pretend to be the same as Christ.

Usage notes

• Falsehood, Falseness, Falsity; untruth, fabrication, fiction. Instances may be quoted in abundance from old authors to show that the first three words are often strictly synonymous; but the modern tendency has been decidedly in favor of separating them, falsehood standing for the concrete thing, an intentional lie; falseness, for the quality of being guiltily false or treacherous: as, he is justly despised for his falseness to his oath; and falsity, for the quality of being false without blame: as, the falsity of reasoning. — The Century Dictionary, 1911.

Quotations

• Syn. Falsehood, Falseness, Falsity; untruth, fabrication, fiction. Instances may be quoted in abundance from old authors to show that the first three words are often strictly synonymous; but the modern tendency has been decidedly in favor of separating them, falsehood standing for the concrete thing, an intentional lie; falseness, for the quality of being guiltily false or treacherous: as, he is justly despised for his falseness to his oath; and falsity, for the quality of being false without blame: as, the falsity of reasoning. — the Century Dictionary, 1911.
• Micah 2:11 (KJV):

  If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

• 1909, John Potts, Secret Lodge System:

  The lodge upheld, sustained and honored this man in his double life, his deceit, his falsehood, his hypocrisy.

Synonyms

• (property of being false): falsity
• (intentionally false statement): lie
• (deceitfulness): falseness, mendacity
• See also Thesaurus:falsehood

Antonyms

• (false statement): truth, verity

Translations

English

Etymology

Corresponding to false +‎ -ity. From Middle French fausseté, Old French falseté, from Late Latin falsitas, from Latin falsus.

Pronunciation

Noun

falsity (countable and uncountable, plural falsities)

1. (countable) Something that is false; an untrue assertion.

   The belief that the world is flat is a falsity.

2. (uncountable) The characteristic of being untrue.
   • 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Part Two, Chapter 9, [1]

     The Party intellectual knows in which direction his memories must be altered; he therefore knows that he is playing tricks with reality; but by the exercise of DOUBLETHINK he also satisfies himself that reality is not violated. The process has to be conscious, or it would not be carried out with sufficient precision, but it also has to be unconscious, or it would bring with it a feeling of falsity and hence of guilt.

   The falsity of that statement is easily proven.

Usage notes

• Falsehood, Falseness, Falsity; untruth, fabrication, fiction. Instances may be quoted in abundance from old authors to show that the first three words are often strictly synonymous; but the modern tendency has been decidedly in favor of separating them, falsehood standing for the concrete thing, an intentional lie; falseness, for the quality of being guiltily false or treacherous: as, he is justly despised for his falseness to his oath; and falsity, for the quality of being false without blame: as, the falsity of reasoning. — The Century Dictionary, 1911.

Synonyms

• fabrication
• falsehood
• falseness
• fiction
• untruth
• See also Thesaurus:falsehood

Antonyms

• truth
• verity

Translations

References

• Webster, Noah (1828), “falsity”, in An American Dictionary of the English Language
• falsity in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “falsity” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989)
• Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary (1987-1996)

Please follow and like us: