Mendacious

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /mɛnˈdeɪʃəs/

Definitions

1. Habitually dishonest or characterized by deliberate untruthfulness and deception
2. Characterized by a consistent inclination towards deception, this term denotes individuals who frequently engage in lying or untruthful behavior
3. Having a strong tendency to provide false information or to mislead others

Etymology: The Latin root behind "mendacious" is "mendax," meaning "lying," and it is a word with a surprisingly blunt ancestry: the Latin "mendacium" meant simply "lie" or "untruth," a plain noun for a falsehood. English took the adjective through Middle French "mendacieux," which carried the same flat sense of being given to falsehood. The Latin noun and adjective share a stem, so the family of words grew out of one concrete idea of deception rather than any shade of subtlety. The English suffix "-ious" is what turns the noun-like stem into an adjective describing a habit or tendency. It is the same ending found in "envious" or "gracious," so "mendacious" literally describes someone full of lies. Because the suffix marks a characteristic rather than a single act, the word tends to describe a person or a statement that is habitually untrue, instead of merely being mistaken.

Synonyms: deceitful, dishonest, untruthful, insincere, false

Antonyms: truthful, honest, sincere, genuine, trustworthy