Truthiest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Seeming the most true based on gut feeling or what one wishes were so, rather than on verified facts
2. Describing something that feels the most correct to a person, even when evidence does not support it
3. Appearing the most believable according to instinct instead of logic, research or proof

Etymology: "Truthiest" is the superlative of "truthy," and its story begins with a single 2005 television joke. Comedian Stephen Colbert coined "truthiness" on his show "The Colbert Report," defining it as the quality of feeling right or believed without regard to facts or evidence, as opposed to what the evidence actually supports. The word was built from "truth" with the ending "-iness," the same ending that turns "happy" into "happiness." "Truthy" came later, as a back-formation: speakers stripped the "-iness" off "truthiness" and were left with a plain adjective. The base "truth" plus the suffix "-y," meaning "having the quality of," gives the same sense in shorter form. The superlative "truthiest" then follows the regular pattern of adding "-est" to form the most of that quality.

Synonyms: truest, most truthful

Antonyms: falsest