truthful
gb/tɹˈuθfəl/ us/tɹˈuθfəl/
B1
Inglés
~ 9300
Acepciones
0 acepciones
adjective
B1
property
1
honest and not lying
Describes a person who tells the truth and does not lie.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] is truthful (about [something] / with [someone])
Error frecuente:
Learners often confuse "truthful" with "true." Use "truthful" mainly for people and their behavior (a truthful person, a truthful answer), and "true" for facts or statements (a true story, a true fact). "Honest" is more common than "truthful" in everyday speech, so both are usually possible (an honest/truthful person), but you cannot say *"a very truthful to his wife"; you must say "very truthful to his wife" or "very honest with his wife."
Sinónimos
honest (More common and general; can also refer to not cheating or stealing, not only to telling the truth.)
|
straightforward (Emphasizes being direct and clear, sometimes less about moral honesty than about communication style.)
Antónimos
dishonest (General opposite, suggesting lying or not being morally trustworthy.)
|
deceitful (Stronger negative; suggests actively trying to trick or mislead people.)
Colocaciones
a truthful person
|be truthful
|completely truthful
|truthful about [something]
|truthful with [someone]
Temas
character
|ethics
|communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Please be truthful with your doctor so they can help you.
- He has a reputation for being completely truthful, even when the truth hurts.
- The manager wasn’t truthful about the reasons for the layoffs.
- She tried to be as truthful as possible when answering the interviewer’s questions.
- If you’re not truthful on this form, you could get into legal trouble.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I want you to be truthful with me.
- She is a very truthful friend.
- He was not truthful about his age.
- The boy promised to be truthful from now on.
- We need a truthful person for this job.
adjective
B2
property
2
factually correct; accurate
Describes words, reports, or information that match the real facts and do not lie.
Patrón de uso:
[a statement/account/testimony] is truthful
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes use "true" where "truthful" is more natural. For example, "a true account" is possible but less common than "a truthful account." Use "truthful" when you want to stress honesty and correctness together, especially in law, reports, and testimony.
Sinónimos
accurate (Focuses on being exact and correct; slightly more technical or formal in some contexts.)
|
factual (Emphasizes that something is based on facts rather than opinions or lies.)
Antónimos
false (Direct opposite for statements; means not correct or not based on fact.)
|
misleading (Not always completely false but gives the wrong idea or impression.)
Colocaciones
a truthful account
|a truthful statement
|a truthful report
|truthful testimony
|entirely truthful
Temas
law
|reporting
|communication
|education
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The journalist’s article was largely truthful but left out some key details.
- Under oath, she gave a truthful account of what happened that night.
- We need a full and truthful report of last quarter’s results.
- His statement was not entirely truthful, and the court caught the inconsistency.
- The company insists that its advertising is completely truthful.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The witness did not give a truthful answer.
- Is this report truthful, or is something missing?
- The movie is not fully truthful about history.
- Please write a truthful summary of the meeting.
- Her letter was short but truthful.
adjective
C1
property
3
realistic and faithful to reality
Describes art, photos, or descriptions that show life as it really is, not in a nicer or worse way.
Patrón de uso:
[a portrayal/description/image] is truthful (to [something])
Error frecuente:
Learners may overuse "real" instead of "truthful" in this sense. While you can say "a real picture," in this context it is more natural to say "a truthful" or "realistic" picture or portrayal when you want to stress matching real life closely.
Sinónimos
realistic (Focuses on being close to real life; slightly broader and more common for art and stories.)
|
faithful (Often used with "to" (faithful to life, faithful to the original); stresses not changing important details.)
Antónimos
idealized (Opposite in this context; shows something as better or more perfect than it really is.)
|
distorted (Suggests that reality has been changed or twisted in an inaccurate way.)
Colocaciones
a truthful portrayal
|a truthful depiction
|a truthful image
|a truthful portrait
|truthful to life
Temas
art
|media
|description
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The film offers a truthful portrayal of life in a small town.
- Critics praised the novel for its truthful depiction of teenage anxiety.
- This documentary gives a painfully truthful picture of life in the refugee camp.
- The painting is not very flattering, but it is remarkably truthful.
- Her memoir feels truthful to her experience, even when it is uncomfortable.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The book gives a truthful picture of poor families.
- The movie is very truthful to real life.
- This photo is not truthful because it uses a filter.
- The writer tries to be truthful about war.
- The show is funny but also truthful about everyday problems.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
truthful
AFI
GB/tɹˈuθfəl/
US/tɹˈuθfəl/
Sílabas y acento
truth - ful (2 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (truth)
Formas de la palabra
Adjective
- Base: truthful
Familia de palabras
Related words
truthfulness
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
untruthful
adjective
untruth
noun
Expresiones
to be perfectly truthful
1/tə bˈi pˈɚfəktli tɹˈuθfəl/
fixed phrase
stress complete honesty before speaking
A stronger form of "to be truthful," used before a sentence to say that what you are going to say is totally honest and not softened.
Ejemplos
- To be perfectly truthful, I don’t trust him anymore.
- To be perfectly truthful, I applied for the job only for the money.
to be truthful
1/tə bˈi tɹˈuθfəl/
fixed phrase
introduce a very honest remark
Used before a sentence to show that you are going to say something very honest, even if it is not nice or is surprising.
Ejemplos
- To be truthful, I didn’t enjoy the presentation at all.
- To be truthful, I’m not sure this plan will work.
- I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but to be truthful, the soup was terrible.