Definition of VERACITY (original) (raw)
3
: power of conveying or perceiving truth
4
: something true
makes lies sound like veracities
Did you know?
Veracity has been a part of English since the early 17th century, and we can honestly tell you that it derives from the Latin adjective vērāx ("truthful"), which in turn comes from the earlier vērus ("true"). Vērus also gives us verity ("the quality of being true"), verify ("to establish the truth of"), and verisimilitude ("the appearance of truth"), among other words. In addition, vērāx is the root of the word veraciousness, a somewhat rarer synonym and cousin of veracity.
Synonyms
Examples of veracity in a Sentence
What gives the book its integrity are the simplicity and veracity of these recipes and the small touches—bits of history, discovery and personal reflection. —
Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 31 Mar. 1998 The trial began with a flurry of motions and questions challenging the judge's authority and veracity. The defendants earlier had called the judge's authority into question when jurors were selected two weeks ago. —Chris Bird, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Jan. 1996 … some documentary photographers supported the photographer's right to find essential rather than literal truths in any situation, while others … insisted on absolute veracity, maintaining that for images to be true to both medium and event, situations should be found, not reenacted. —Naomi Rosenblum, A World History of Photography, 1989
We questioned the veracity of his statements. The jury did not doubt the veracity of the witness.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On the issue of Labour’s tax plans, Sir Keir was able to robustly challenge the veracity of Rishi Sunak’s claims. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Dec. 2024 Newsweek was not able to independently verify the veracity of the clip. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024 Critics inside and outside El Salvador question the veracity of the government’s crime data and claimed success over the gangs. —David Culver, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024 Viewers began to question the veracity of the image when some noticed that the mark resembles a picture of a bite tattoo found on Pinterest. —Lydia Wang, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for veracity 
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin vērācitāt-, vērācitās, from Latin vērāc-, vērāx "truthful" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at very entry 2
First Known Use
1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of veracity was in 1614
Dictionary Entries Near veracity
Cite this Entry
“Veracity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veracity. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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Last Updated: 27 Dec 2024 - Updated example sentences
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