a half truth is a whole lie
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A partial truth can be as misleading as a complete falsehood
Literally: a half truth is a whole lie
Examples
She said he was busy, but a half truth is a whole lie because he was actually avoiding her
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a half truth is a whole lie” mean?
A partial truth can be as misleading as a complete falsehood Literally: a half truth is a whole lie
Is “a half truth is a whole lie” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.