Veridical

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /vəˈɹɪdɪkəl/

Definitions

1. Conforming to facts or reality; truthful and accurate in representation or perception
2. Consistent with truth and reality, this term describes something that is both accurate in representation and genuine in nature
3. This descriptor refers to a characteristic that is true to facts and provides an honest reflection of reality

Etymology: "Veridical" is a learned formation built from two Latin words: "verus," meaning "true," and "dicere," meaning "to say." The Latin adjective "veridicus" combined them to describe something "truly said," and English took that adjective over whole, so the word carries its original sense of speech or report that matches reality. Its core idea is contained in the pieces: a veridical account is one that says what actually happened. The word has held onto that narrow meaning. Where many English words of Latin origin have drifted toward looser or more abstract uses, "veridical" stays close to its root, most often applied to perceptions, memories, or reports that correspond to the facts. Its close relatives in English, such as "veracious" and "verdict," come from the same Latin stem "verus," though "verdict" entered by a different path, through Old French, and in its own sense of a "true saying" by a jury.

Synonyms: truthful, accurate

Antonyms: false, deceptive