Truth (redirected from Introduction to Truth theory)

Truth, Sojourner 1797?-1883. American abolitionist and feminist. Born into slavery, she escaped in 1827 and became a leading preacher against slavery and for the rights of women.

Sojourner Truth photographed c. 1864

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truth  (trth)

n. pl. truths (trz, trths)

1. Conformity to fact or actuality.

2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true.

3. Sincerity; integrity.

4. Fidelity to an original or standard.

5.

a. Reality; actuality.

b. often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

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[Middle English trewthe, loyalty, from Old English trowth; see deru- in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: truth, veracity, verity, verisimilitude
These nouns refer to the quality of being in accord with fact or reality. Truth is a comprehensive term that in all of its nuances implies accuracy and honesty: "We seek the truth, and will endure the consequences" (Charles Seymour).
Veracity is adherence to the truth: "Veracity is the heart of morality" (Thomas H. Huxley).
Verity often applies to an enduring or repeatedly demonstrated truth: "beliefs that were accepted as eternal verities" (James Harvey Robinson).
Verisimilitude is the quality of having the appearance of truth or reality: "merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative" (W.S. Gilbert).

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truth [truːθ]

n

1. the quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual the truth of his statement was attested

2. something that is true as opposed to false you did not tell me the truth

3. a proven or verified principle or statement; fact the truths of astronomy

4. (usually plural) a system of concepts purporting to represent some aspect of the world the truths of ancient religions

5. fidelity to a required standard or law

6. faithful reproduction or portrayal the truth of a portrait

7. an obvious fact; truism; platitude

8. honesty, reliability, or veracity the truth of her nature

9. accuracy, as in the setting, adjustment, or position of something, such as a mechanical instrument

10. the state or quality of being faithful; allegiance Related adjectives veritable, veracious

[Old English triewth; related to Old High German gitriuwida fidelity, Old Norse tryggr true]

truthless  adj

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Truth 

See Also: CANDOR, HONESTY

1. All the durable truths that have come into the world within historic times have been opposed as bitterly as if they were so many waves of smallpox —H. L. Mencken
2. As with the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of truth is itself gratifying whereas the consummation often turns out to be elusive —Richard Hofstadter
3. Honest as the skin between his brows —William Shakespeare
4. Plain truths, like plain dishes, are commended by everybody, and everybody leaves them whole —Walter Savage Landor
5. Pure truth, like pure gold, has been found unfit for circulation, because men have discovered that it is far more convenient to adulterate the truth than to refine themselves —Charles Caleb Colton
6. Random truths are all I find stuck like burrs about my mind —Phyllis McGinley
7. Rich honesty dwells like a miser … in a poor house; as your pearl in your foul oyster —William Shakespeare
8. Speaking the truth is like writing well, and only comes with practice —John Ruskin

   This has been modernized from “The truth is like writing”

9. Truth … drag it out and beat it like a carpet —Hortense Calisher
10. Truth is a cow which will yield such people no more milk, and so they are gone to milk the bull —Samuel Johnson
11. Truth is as difficult to lay hold on as air —Walter Savage Landor

    See Also: ELUSIVENESS

12. Truth is as old as God —Emily Dickinson
13. The truth is cold, as a giant’s knee will seem cold —John Ashbery
14. Truth is impossible to be soiled by any outward touch as the sunbeam —John Milton
15. Truth … is not a thing to be thrown about loosely, like small change; it is something to be cherished and hoarded and disbursed only when absolutely necessary —H. L. Mencken
16. The truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch … you may kick it about all day, like a football, and it will be round and full at evening —Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
17. The truth kept wandering in and out of her mind like a lost child, never pausing long enough to be identified —Margaret Millar
18. Truth, like a bird, is ever poised for flight at man’s approach —Jean Brown
19. Truth, like a gentle shower, soaks through the ears and moistens the intellect —Anon
20. Truth, like a point or line, requires an acuteness and intention to its discovery —Joseph Glanville
21. Truth, like a suit of armor, stubbornly resists all attempts to penetrate it —Robert Traver

    In his novel, People Versus Kirk, Traver continues the simile with “… while the lie, under probing, almost invariably reveals some chinks and cracks.”

22. Truth is like a torch, the more it is shook, the more it shines —Sir William Hamilton

    Modernized from “The more ’tis shook, it shines.”

23. Truth, like gold, is not less so for being newly brought out of the mine —John Locke
24. Truth, like light, blinds —Albert Camus

    Camus prefaces his simile from The Fall as follows: “Sometimes it is easier to see clearly into the liar than into the man who tells the truth.”

25. Truth, like the juice of the poppy, in small quantities, calms men; in larger, heats and irritates them, and is attended by fatal consequences in its excess —Walter Savage Landor
26. Truth’s like a fire, and will burn through and be seen —Maxwell Anderson
27. A truth’s prosperity is like a jest’s; it lies in the ear of him that hears it —Samuel Butler
28. The way of truth is like a great highway. It is not hard to find —Mencius

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	truth - a fact that has been verified; "at last he knew the truth"; "the truth is that he didn't want to do it" fact - a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred; "first you must collect all the facts of the case" home truth - an important truth that is unpleasant to acknowledge (as about yourself) verity - an enduring or necessary ethical or religious or aesthetic truth
	2.	truth - conformity to reality or actuality; "they debated the truth of the proposition"; "the situation brought home to us the blunt truth of the military threat"; "he was famous for the truth of his portraits"; "he turned to religion in his search for eternal verities" the true, trueness, verity actuality - the state of actually existing objectively; "a hope that progressed from possibility to actuality" falseness, falsity - the state of being false or untrue; "argument could not determine its truth or falsity"
	3.	truth - a true statement; "he told the truth"; "he thought of answering with the truth but he knew they wouldn't believe it" true statement statement - a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc; "according to his statement he was in London on that day" gospel truth, gospel - an unquestionable truth; "his word was gospel" tautology - (logic) a statement that is necessarily true; "the statement `he is brave or he is not brave' is a tautology" truism - an obvious truth falsehood, untruth, falsity - a false statement
	4.	truth - the quality of being near to the true value; "he was beginning to doubt the accuracy of his compass"; "the lawyer questioned the truth of my account" accuracy quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare exactitude, exactness - the quality of being exact; "he demanded exactness in all details"; "a man of great exactitude" fidelity - accuracy with which an electronic system reproduces the sound or image of its input signal
	5.	Truth - United States abolitionist and feminist who was freed from slavery and became a leading advocate of the abolition of slavery and for the rights of women (1797-1883) Sojourner Truth

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truth

noun

1. reality, fact(s), real life, actuality Is it possible to separate truth from fiction?
reality unreality, lie, legend, fiction, myth, invention, delusion, fabrication, make-believe, falsehood, untruth, old wives' tale

2. truthfulness, fact, accuracy, honesty, precision, validity, legitimacy, authenticity, correctness, sincerity, verity, candour, veracity, rightness, genuineness, exactness, factuality, factualness There is no truth in this story.
truthfulness error, inaccuracy, falsity

3. fact, law, reality, certainty, maxim, verity, axiom, truism, proven principle It's a universal truth that we all die eventually.

4. the fact of the matter, what really happened, gospel truth, God's truth, the honest truth, the case I must tell you the truth about this.

5. honesty, principle, honour, virtue, integrity, goodness, righteousness, candour, frankness, probity, rectitude, incorruptibility, uprightness His mission is to uphold truth, justice and the American way.
honesty deception, deceit, dishonesty

in truth actually, really, in fact, in reality, as a matter of fact, to tell the truth, in actual fact, in point of fact, if truth be told In truth, we were both unhappy.

Related words
adjectives veritable, veracious

Quotations
"Truth sits upon the lips of dying men" [Matthew Arnold Sohrab and Rustum]
"Beauty and Truth, though never found, are worthy to be sought" [Robert Williams Buchanan To David in Heaven]
"`Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' - that is all"
"Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know"
"That is all" [John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn]
"What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer" [Francis Bacon Essays]
"Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not believed" [William Blake Proverbs of Hell]
"Truth never hurts the teller" [Robert Browning Fifine at the Fair]
"Truth is within ourselves" [Robert Browning Paracelsus]
"'Tis strange - but true; for truth is always strange;"
"Stranger than fiction" [Lord Byron Don Juan]
"I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect" [Jiddu Krishnamurti speech]
"It is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions" [T.H. Huxley Science and Culture]
"The first casualty when war comes is truth" [Philander Chase Johnson Shooting Stars]
"There was things that he stretched, but mainly he told the truth" [Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]
"The truth is rarely pure, and never simple" [Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest]
"The truth is a terrible weapon of aggression. It is possible to lie, and even to murder, for the truth" [Alfred Adler The Problem of Neurosis]
"The truth which makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear" [Herbert Agar A Time for Greatness]
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" [Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Sign of Four]
"The truth shall make you free" Bible: St. John
"When you want to fool the world, tell the truth" [Otto von Bismarck]
"It is always the best policy to speak the truth, unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar" [Jerome K. Jerome]
"Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors" [T.H. Huxley Science and Culture and Other Essays]
"Truth is the cry of all, but the game of the few" [Bishop George Berkeley Siris]
"Truth lies within a little and certain compass, but error is immense" [Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke Reflections upon Exile]

Proverbs
"There is truth in wine (in vino veritas)"

Translations

truth [truːθ] (truths (pl)) [truːðz]

A. N → verdad f
there is some truth in this → hay una parte de verdad en esto
in truth → en verdad, a la verdad
the plain truth → la pura verdad, la verdad lisa y llana
the whole truth → toda la verdad
to tell the truth → decir la verdad
to tell (you) the truth; truth to tell → a decir verdad
the truth of the matter is that → si te digo la verdad or la verdad es que ...
the truth hurts → las verdades duelen
truth will out → no hay mentira que no salga
truth is stranger than fiction → la realidad sobrepasa a la ficción
see also home

B. CPD truth drug N → suero m de la verdad

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truth [ˈtruːθ] [truths] [ˈtruːðz] (pl) n

(= real facts) → vérité f
I want you to tell me the truth → Je veux que tu me dises la vérité.
No one knows the whole truth → Personne ne connaît toute la vérité.
to tell you the truth (= to be honest) → à vrai dire

(= truthfulness) → vérité f
There is an element of truth in it → Il y a une part de vérité là-dedans.
There is no truth in the story → Il n'y a rien de vrai dans l'histoire.

(= something believed to be true) → vérité f
universal truths → vérités universelles

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truth

n pl <-s>

no pl → Wahrheit f; you must always tell the truth → du musst immer die Wahrheit sagen; to tell the truth …, truth to tell … → um ehrlich zu sein …, um die Wahrheit zu sagen …; the truth of it or the matter is that … → die Wahrheit ist dass …, in Wahrheit …; there’s no truth or or not a word of truth in what he says → es ist kein Wort wahr von dem, was er sagt; there’s some truth in that → es ist etwas Wahres daran, da ist etwas Wahres dran (inf); the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth (Jur) → die Wahrheit, die reine Wahrheit und nichts als die Wahrheit; in truth → in Wahrheit, in Wirklichkeit; truth will out (prov) → die Wahrheit wird ans Licht kommen, die Sonne wird es an den Tag bringen (prov)

(= belief, fact) → Wahrheit f ? home truth

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truth [truːθ] n → verità f inv
to tell the truth → dire la verità
to tell (you) the truth, truth to tell → a dire il vero or la verità
the truth of the matter is that ... → la verità è che...
the truth hurts → la verità fa male
there is some truth in what he says → c'è del vero in ciò che dice
there isn't a word of truth in it → non c'è nulla di vero
truth will out → la verità viene sempre a galla

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truth

n truth [truːθ]

1 trueness; the state of being true I am certain of the truth of his story; What is truth?' asked the philosopher. waarheid صِدْق، صِحَّه истинност pravdivost; pravda sandfærdighed; sandhed die Wahrheit αλήθεια verdad tõde صحت totuus vérité אֱמֶת सच्चाई istina igazság kebenaran sannleikur verità 真実 진실성 tiesa patiesība; taisnība kebenaran waarheid sannhet prawda verdade adevăr правдивость; истина pravda; pravdivosť resnica istina sanning ความจริง gerçeklik, doğruluk 真實性，真理 правдивість; істина سچائي، صداقت sự thật 真实性，真理

2 the true facts I don't know, and that's the truth; Tell the truth about it. waarheid حَقيقَه истина pravda sandhed die Wahrheit αλήθεια verdad tõde حقایق totuus vérité הָאֱמֶת वास्तविकता istina, istinitost valóság kenyataan sannleikur verità 事実 사실 tiesa taisnība kebenaran waarheid sannhet prawda verdade adevăr правда pravda resnica istina sanning ข้อเท็จจริง gerçek, hakikat 真相 правда حقائق những điều có thật 真相

adj truthful

(negativeuntruthful)

1 (of a person) telling the truth She's a truthful child. eerlik صادِق честен pravdomluvný sandfærdig wahrheitsliebend ειλικρινής, φιλαλήθης sincero, franco, que dice la verdad aus راستگو rehellinen franc דוֹבֵר אֱמֶת सच्चाईपूर्ण iskren igaz(mondó) berkata benar sannsögull sincero 正直な 정직한 sakantis tiesą patiesīgs jujur waarheidlievend sannferdig prawdomówny que diz a verdade sincer правдивый pravdovravný resnicoljuben iskren sannfärdig, uppriktig ซื่อสัตย์ doğrucu, doğru sözlü 誠實的 правдивий سچا، حق گو thật thà 诚实的

2 true a truthful account of what happened. eerlike, ware صَحيح، حَقيقي، شَرْعي истински pravdivý sandfærdig wahrheitsgemäß ειλικρινής, αληθινός verídico, veraz tõepärane درست totuudenmukainen véridique אֲמִיתִי सत्य istinit igaz benar sannur veritiero 真実の 사실과 일치하는 teisingas patiess sebenar waarheidsgetrouw sann, tro zgodny z prawdą verdadeiro veridic правильный pravdivý, presný verodostojen istinit sanningsenlig ถูกต้อง doğru, gerçek 真實的 справжній; достеменний صحيح chính xác 真实的

adv truthfully

eerlik بِصِدْق، بصورةٍ حَقيقِيَّه правдиво pravdivě troværdigt wahr ειλικρινά sinceramente; verídicamente ausalt به راستی؛ بطور صادقانه rehellisesti véridiquement בֶּאֱמֶת सत्यनिष्ठा से, सत्यवादितापूर्वक, सत्यता से istinito, iskren szavahihetően, igazsághoz hűen secara benar sannleikanum samkvæmt sinceramente 本当は 정직하게 teisingai patiesi sebenarnya eerlijk i overensstemmelse med sannheten zgodnie z prawdą sem mentir (în mod) veridic правдиво pravdivo resnično istinito uppriktigt, sanningsenligt ตามความจริง gerçekten, hakikaten 誠實地 правдиво; вірно سچائي سے thực 诚实地

n truthfulness

eerlikheid, opregtheid صِدْق правдивост pravdomluvnost, pravdivost sandfærdighed die Wahrhaftigkeit ειλικρίνεια veracidad ausus صداقت rehellisyys véracité אֲמִיתוּת सत्यनिष्ठा, सत्यवादिता istinitost igazmondás, szavahihetőség; igazság kebenaran sannsögli veridicità 真実 거짓없음 ištikimybė tiesai, tiesumas patiesīgums kebenaran eerlijkheid sanndruhet prawdomówność, prawdziwość veracidade sinceritate правдивость pravdovravnosť; pravdivosť resnicoljubnost istinitost uppriktighet, sanningsenlighet ความซื่อสัตย์ doğruluk, gerçeklik 誠實 правдивість; правильність صداقت tính thực 诚实

tell the truth

to confess or make a true statement. die waarheid vertel يَقول الحَق أو الصِّدْق признавам říci pravdu indrømme sandheden die Wahrheit sagen λέω την αλήθεια decir la verdad tõtt rääkima حقیقت را گفتن puhua totta dire la vérité לוֹמַר אֶת הַאֱמֶת निर्भीक होकर सत्य बोलना priznati, reći istinu az igazat mondja mengaku segja satt dire la verità 事実を述べる 사실을 말하다 (pa)sakyti tiesą pateikt taisnību/patiesību bercakap benar de waarheid spreken fortelle sannheten mówić prawdę dizer a verdade a spune adevărul говорить правду povedať pravdu govoriti resnico reći istinu tala sanning, säga sanningen พูดความจริง doğruyu söylemek 說實話 признатися; говорити правду اقرار کرنا، صحيح بيان دينا nói sự thật 说实话

to tell the truth

really; actually To tell the truth I forgot it was your birthday last week. om die waarheid te sê حِقيقَةً، في الحَقيقَه всъщност abych řekl pravdu for at sige sandheden um die Wahrheit zu sagen για να πω την αλήθεια a decir verdad, para ser sincero tõtt öelda در واقع؛ حقیقتاً totta puhuakseni à dire vrai לוֹמַר אֶת הַאֱמֶת वास्तव में zapravo, iskreno az igazat megvallva sesungguhnya satt að segja (a dire il vero) 本当のことを言うと 사실을 말하자면 tiesą sakant patiesību sakot sebenarnya om de waarheid te zeggen for å si det som det er prawdę powiedziawszy para dizer a verdade ca să fiu sincer по правде говоря aby som pravdu povedal po pravici povedano iskreno sanningen att säga ... ตามความเป็นจริง doğrusunu isterseniz 老實講(說) правду кажучи در حقيقت، در اصل thực sự 老实讲（说）

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Truth → حقيقة pravda sandhed Wahrheit αλήθεια verdad totuus vérité istina verità 事実 진실 waarheid sannhet prawda verdade истина sanning ความจริง gerçek sự thật 真理