What is Truth?


Webster's 1828 Dictionary

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

TRUTH, n. [Sax. treowth, truth, and troth ; G. treue ; D. getrouwheid, fidelity, from trouw, trust, faith, fidelity, whence trouwen, to marry.]

My mouth shall speak truth. Prov. viii.
Sanctify them through the truth ; thy word is truth. John xvii.


Shall truth fail to keep her word ? Milton.

4. Veracity ; purity from falsehood ; practice of speaking truth ; as when we say, a man is a man of truth.
5. Correct opinion. Harte.
6. Fidelity ; constancy.

The thoughts of past pleasure and truth,
The best of all blessings below. Song.

7. Honesty ; virtue.

It must appear
That malice bears down truth. Shak.

8. Exactness ; conformity to rule.


10. Sincerity.

God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. John iv.

11. The truth of God, is his veracity and faithfulness. Ps. lxxi.

Or his revealed will.
I have walked in thy truth. Ps. xxvi.

12. Jesus Christ is called the truth. John xiv.
13. It is sometimes used by way of concession.

She said, truth, Lord ; yet the dogs eat of the crums – Matt. xv.

In truth, in reality ; in fact.
Of a truth, in reality ; certainly.
To do truth, is to practice what God commands. John iii.1

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

Synonyms: 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).2

  1. truth. American Dictionary of the English Language, Vol. 2. S. Converse, 1828.
  2. truth. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.