Liars & Deception Vocabulary

to speak or act in an evasive way; to lie or mislead

“The witness prevaricated when asked direct questions about the incident.”

Origin: Latin praevaricari `to walk crookedly` from prae- `before` + varicare `to straddle`

to use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid commitment

“Politicians often equivocate to avoid making firm promises.”

Origin: Late Latin aequivocatus from aequi- `equal` + vocare `to call`, meaning `to call by the same name`

to conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs

“She dissembled her disappointment with a forced smile.”

Origin: Latin dissimulare from dis- `completely` + simulare `to simulate`, meaning `to disguise or conceal`

to invent or concoct something, typically with deceitful intent

“He fabricated an elaborate excuse for missing the meeting.”

Origin: Latin fabricatus from fabrica `workshop, craft`, meaning `to construct or manufacture`

not telling the truth; lying

“The mendacious report was filled with false statistics.”

Origin: Latin mendax `lying, deceitful` from mendum `fault, defect`

deceitful in speech or conduct; double-dealing

“His duplicitous nature made him impossible to trust.”

Origin: Latin duplicitas from duplex `twofold` from duo `two` + plicare `to fold`

not candid or sincere; giving a false appearance of frankness

“Her disingenuous apology fooled no one.”

Origin: Latin dis- `not` + ingenuus `frank, honest`, literally `native, freeborn`

deceitful and untrustworthy; treacherous

“The perfidious ally betrayed them at the crucial moment.”

Origin: Latin perfidiosus from perfidia `treachery` from per- `through` + fides `faith`, meaning `breaking faith`

superficially plausible but actually wrong; misleading in appearance

“The lawyer's specious argument almost convinced the jury.”

Origin: Latin speciosus `fair, beautiful` from species `appearance`, meaning `having a fair appearance`

not genuine, authentic, or true; false or fake

“The spurious claims were quickly debunked by experts.”

Origin: Latin spurius `illegitimate, false`, possibly from Etruscan

based on a mistaken belief; containing a fallacy

“The fallacious reasoning led to incorrect conclusions.”

Origin: Latin fallax `deceitful` from fallere `to deceive`

of doubtful authenticity; widely circulated but probably false

“The story about the company's founding is probably apocryphal.”

Origin: Greek apokryphos `hidden, obscure` from apo- `away` + kryptein `to hide`

the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose

“The contract was full of legal chicanery designed to confuse.”

Origin: French chicaner `to quibble`, possibly from Middle Low German schikken `to arrange`

deceit used to achieve one's goal; a stratagem used to deceive

“He gained entry through subterfuge, posing as a delivery person.”

Origin: Latin subterfugere from subter `beneath` + fugere `to flee`, meaning `to escape secretly`

an unfounded rumor or story

“The canard about the CEO's resignation spread through the office.”

Origin: French canard `duck`, from phrase vendre un canard à moitié `to half-sell a duck`, meaning `to swindle`

the use of clever but false arguments, especially to deceive

“His sophisticated sophistry almost masked his flawed logic.”

Origin: Greek sophistēs `wise man, teacher` from sophos `wise`, later acquiring negative connotation

the making of false and defamatory statements about someone

“She sued the newspaper for calumny after the libelous article.”

Origin: Latin calumnia `false accusation, trickery` from calvi `to trick`

the action of making false spoken statements damaging to a person's reputation

“The slander destroyed his political career.”

Origin: Old French esclandre from Latin scandalum `stumbling block, offense` from Greek skandalon

the offense of willfully telling an untruth after taking an oath

“The witness was charged with perjury for lying under oath.”

Origin: Latin perjurium from per- `to ill effect` + jurare `to swear`

a person who pretends to be someone else to deceive others

“The impostor had been posing as a doctor for years.”

Origin: French imposteur from Late Latin impostor `deceiver` from imponere `to impose upon`

a thing that is not what it is purported to be

“The entire trial was a sham designed to convict him.”

Origin: Origin uncertain, possibly dialectal English sham `trick` or related to shame

an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant reality

“Behind the facade of wealth, the family was deeply in debt.”

Origin: French façade from Italian facciata `face` from faccia from Latin facies `face`