# Looking for words or terms for "lying without lying". **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367 "2012-11-18T02:10:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/21 "2012-11-18T13:54:22Z")
Obfuscating is more confusion, n’est-ce pas? This is deliberate misleading. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/22 "2012-11-18T13:55:28Z")
Mendacity? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/23 "2012-11-18T15:47:43Z")
Disingenuous is the best word I can think of in English to describe this phenomenon. Almost every other similar word implies outright lying. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/24 "2012-11-18T16:37:48Z")
If you want to lend your conversation a classical bent, _suggestio falsi_ “suggestion of falsity” means implying without actually stating an untrue fact and _suppressio veri_ “suppression of truth” means leaving out the inconvenient facts. A character in a story I was writing once held up her sword threateningly to an enemy and said “…And I wouldn’t like to say how many of your kind I’ve slain with this”. The actual number was “none”, so while she was falsely suggesting that she had killed so many she couldn’t swear as to the number the actual truth was that, right then, she would much prefer the enemy didn’t know the real number. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/25 "2012-11-18T18:26:18Z")
You could describe some speech as containing ‘factual inexactitude’ > **[Terminological inexactitude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminological_inexactitude)** > > Terminological inexactitude is a phrase introduced in 1906 by British politician Winston Churchill. It is used as a euphemism or circumlocution meaning a lie, an untruth, or a substantially correct but technically inaccurate statement. > > Churchill first used the phrase following the 1906 election. Speaking in the House of Commons on 22 February 1906 as Under-Secretary of the Colonial Office, he had occasion to repeat what he had said during the campaign. When asked that day whether the Governmen... Here are a few ideas for you, > **[Lie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie)** > > A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deceiving or misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a liar. Lies can be interpreted as deliberately false statements or misleading statements. Lies may also serve a variety of instrumental, interpersonal, or psychological functions for the individuals who use them. > Generally, the term "lie" carries a negative connotation, and de... ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/26 "2012-11-18T23:38:26Z")
Quick definitions from WordNet (prevaricate) ▸ verb: be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/27 "2012-11-19T01:25:20Z")
A little airy persiflage to add verisimilitude to an otherwise unconvincing narrative. ---
**Author:** ![phxjcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phxjcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phxjcc)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/28 "2012-11-19T02:14:53Z")
Oliver North: “The testimony given was counterfactual and I sought to further that position.” ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/29 "2012-11-19T03:16:16Z")
Untruthiness - nod to Colbert. Rovian - thanks Karl Not intended to be a factual statement - Jon Kyl ---
**Author:** ![Scholar\_Beardpig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Scholar\_Beardpig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scholar_Beardpig)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/30 "2012-11-19T03:41:32Z")
I like ‘casuistry.’ Technically, it’s mental reservation, but the word ‘casuistry’ just sounds so good… > **[Casuistry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casuistry)** > > In ethics, casuistry (/ˈkæzjuɪstri/ KAZ-ew-iss-tree) is a process of reasoning that seeks to resolve moral problems by extracting or extending theoretical rules from a particular case, and reapplying those rules to new instances. This method occurs in applied ethics and jurisprudence. The term is also commonly used as a pejorative to criticize the use of clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions (as in sophistry). It is the "\[s\]tudy of cases of conscience and a Acc... > **[Mental reservation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_mental_reservation)** > > Mental reservation (or mental equivocation) is an ethical theory and a doctrine in moral theology that recognizes the "lie of necessity", and holds that when there is a conflict between justice and veracity, it is justice that should prevail. The doctrine is a special branch of casuistry (case-based reasoning) developed in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. While associated with the Jesuits, it did not originate with them. It is a theory debated by moral theologians, but not part of Canon ... ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/31 "2012-11-19T06:07:16Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I heard that in the expression “my kneecap was shattered during 'Nam” (in 1969 he was skiing in Colorado). > > I like disingenuous. Or “I was a Holocaust survivor, I was born in Connecticut in 1938.” Anyway, I agree with the person who said “spin.” ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/32 "2012-11-19T06:11:54Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > I like “disingenuous,” because the lack of candor leads to a false impression even though the exact wording might have been technically correct. Disingenuous was the word that came to mind for me, too. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/33 "2012-11-19T10:26:57Z")
Deceptive. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/34 "2012-11-19T12:31:45Z")
puffery ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/35 "2012-11-19T12:41:44Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I would use dissemble to express the sense that you intend. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Luk3112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@Luk3112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luk3112)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/36 "2012-11-19T13:11:21Z")
> [@Blunt](#): > > I’m looking for words to describe someone who says things or tells stories in a way meant to intentionally create a false impression or imply things that are untrue, but which aren’t outright lies. Basically, saying things that in and of themselves are true, but wording them in a way, or excluding/including or arranging details to make them point to something that is false. > > For example: Someone has only been to Paris once in their life, but wants to create the impression they have been there frequently. They say something along the lines of “The _last_ time I was in Paris I had a wonderful time”, which I think implies they’d been there more than once, but if you were to call them on it there’s nothing factually untrue about it. > > Words like embellishing or exaggerating, or a term like “a white lie” come to mind as being close to what I’m trying to describe, but they’re not exactly what I’m looking for. A misrepresentation of the truth? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/37 "2012-11-20T15:39:39Z")
No one has suggested “Bullshit”, yet? I’m surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/38 "2012-11-20T17:27:31Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > A little airy persiflage to add verisimilitude to an otherwise unconvincing narrative. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/39 "2012-11-20T17:53:01Z")
I’m also surprised that no one has come up with “statistics” yet. I’m sure I don’t need to repeat the Mark Twain quote. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367/40 "2012-11-20T19:12:57Z")
Republican math? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-words-or-terms-for-lying-without-lying/641367.md?page=3)