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Meaning & use

veracity

noun·Advancedformal

Last updated

UK/vəˈræsɪti/
US/vəˈræsəti/

Meanings

  1. noununcountableformal

    The quality of being true and in line with the facts, especially of a statement, report or claim.

    Grammar: Uncountable and usually followed by of: the veracity of the story.

    Patterns

    • the veracity of something
    • doubt the veracity of something

    Journalists checked the veracity of the claim before printing it.

    The judge questioned the veracity of the witness's account.

    Nobody could prove the veracity of the old legend.

  2. noununcountableformalrare

    The habit of telling the truth, as a character trait of a person.

    Grammar: A rarer use meaning honesty; often used in formal writing.

    Patterns

    • a person of veracity

    The senator's veracity had never been in doubt.

    Her veracity made her the one colleague everyone trusted.

Common combinations

question the veracity
Several experts questioned the veracity of the data.
verify the veracity
Please verify the veracity of the quote before you share it.
doubt the veracity
I doubt the veracity of that rumor.
veracity of a claim
The veracity of the claim has not been tested.
veracity of evidence
The lawyer attacked the veracity of the evidence.

Synonyms and how they differ

truthfulness
Truthfulness describes a person or statement being honest and is plainer and more everyday than veracity.
accuracy
Accuracy means being correct in detail, whereas veracity stresses being truthful overall.
honesty
Honesty describes a person's character, while veracity is more often used for the truth of statements.
validity
Validity suggests an argument or claim is sound, not just factually true as veracity does.

Opposites

falsehooddishonesty

Word family

veracious adjective
truthful or accurate
veraciously adverb
in a truthful way
verify verb
to check that something is true
verity noun
a truth, or the quality of being true

Commonly confused: veracity or voracity? veracity or vivacity?

veracity vs voracity

Voracity means greedy hunger, as in a voracious appetite; veracity means truthfulness. Only one letter separates them.

veracity vs vivacity

Vivacity is liveliness and spirit, which has nothing to do with truth.

Practice

The editor wanted to check the ______ of the witness's statement before publishing it.

Make it your own

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