Standard Lemma guide

untrue

adj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ʌnˈtɹuː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uː
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N T R UW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

False; not true.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She says that I stole her necklace, but that's completely untrue.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: false, inaccurate, incorrect, unveridical, wrong

Antonyms: true

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not faithful or loyal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: false, perfidious, unfaithful, booky, dastardly, disleal, disloyal, double-crossing, double-dealing, double-faced, double-hearted, doublehearted, faithless, falseheart, false-hearted, guiled, guileful, hollow-hearted, illoyal, infidelitous, insidious, Judaslike, Judasly, nonfaithful, proditorious, proditory, Punic, ratlike, recreant, renegade, reptilian, reptitious, swike, traitorish, traitorlike, traitorly, traitorous, traitorsome, treacherous, treachersome, trothless, unleal, unloyal, unsteadfast, untrue, viperish, viperous

Antonyms: faithful

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

(used especially of persons) not dependable in devotion or affection; unfaithful

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a false friend
  • when lovers prove untrue

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: false

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

not accurately fitted; not level

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the frame was out of true
  • off-level floors and untrue doors and windows

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: out of true

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not true to an obligation or trust-Bruno Laske

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • is untrue to his highest opportunity and duty

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

not according with the facts

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • unfortunately the statement was simply untrue

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English untrewe, from Old English untrīewe, from Proto-West Germanic *untriuwī, from Proto-Germanic *untriwwiz. Equivalent to un- + true.

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: грешен (grešen) — false
  • Bulgarian: неверен (neveren) — false
  • Danish: usand — false
  • Dutch: onwaar — false
  • Esperanto: malvera — false
  • Esperanto: nevera — false
  • Georgian: არასწორი (arasc̣ori) — false
  • Georgian: არამართებული (aramartebuli) — false
  • Georgian: არამართალი (aramartali) — false
  • Georgian: არანამდვილი (aranamdvili) — false
  • Georgian: ცრუ (cru) — false
  • Georgian: ტყუილი (ṭq̇uili) — false
  • German: unwahr — false
  • Ancient Greek: ψευδής (pseudḗs) — false
  • Icelandic: rangur — false
  • Icelandic: ósannur — false
  • Irish: ainfhíor — false
  • Italian: falso — false
  • Latin: falsus — false
  • Māori: tahupera — false
  • Māori: meho — false
  • Māori: hāwatewate — false
  • Māori: rūkahu — false
  • Māori: rūpahu — false
  • Norwegian Bokmål: usann — false
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: usann — false
  • Old English: unsōþ — false
  • Old English: untrēowe — false
  • Plautdietsch: onwoa — false
  • Plautdietsch: faulsch — false
  • Plautdietsch: ontru — false
  • Portuguese: falso — false
  • Sanskrit: असत्य (asatya) — false
  • Spanish: falso — false
  • Spanish: incorrecto — false
  • Spanish: inexacto — false
  • Spanish: fatulo — false
  • Swedish: osann — false
  • Turkish: asılsız — false
  • Ottoman Turkish: یالان (yalan) — false
  • Dutch: ontrouw — not faithful or loyal
  • Gothic: 𐌿𐌽𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍅𐍃 (untriggws) — not faithful or loyal
Real reading context

untrue in complete knowledge articles