What does "true" mean?
The state of being in alignment.
True
/tɹuː/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb
adj, adv, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The state of being in alignment.
- Grammar: true is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: genuine, absolute, acceptable, accepted.
- Useful contrasts: askew, bad, ingenuine.
- Usage evidence: All that which is invented, is true.
How to use "true"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "true" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "true" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "true" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "true" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "true" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "genuine" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "true", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The state of being in alignment. uncountable
"Some toolmakers are very careless when drilling the first hole through work that is to be bored, claiming that if the drilled hole comes out of true somewhat it can be brought true with the boring tool."
- 2 A pledge or truce. obsolete
- 3 proper alignment; the property possessed by something that is in correct or proper alignment wordnet
- 4 Truth. obsolete, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To straighten (something that is supposed to be straight).
"He trued the spokes of the bicycle wheel."
- 2 make level, square, balanced, or concentric wordnet
- 3 To make even, level, symmetrical, or accurate, align; adjust (often followed by up).
"We spent all night truing up the report."
Adjective
- 1 Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.
"This is a true story."
- 2 one of two states of a Boolean variable; logic 1. not-comparable
- 3 Conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct.; As an ellipsis of "(while) it is true (that)", used to start a sentence
"True, I have only read part of the book, but I like it so far."
- 4 Conforming to a rule or pattern; exact; accurate.
"a true copy"
- 5 Of the state in Boolean logic that indicates an affirmative or positive result.
""A and B" is true if and only if "A" is true and "B" is true."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 Loyal, faithful.
"He’s turned out to be a true friend."
- 7 Genuine; legitimate; valid; sensu stricto.
"The true king has returned!"
- 8 Genuine; legitimate; valid; sensu stricto.; Used in the designation of group of species, or sometimes a single species, to indicate that it belongs to the clade its common name (which may be more broadly scoped in common speech) is restricted to in technical speech, or to distinguish it from a similar species, the latter of which may be called false.
"true sparrows (Passer)"
- 9 Accurate; following a path toward the target. usually
"Whate'er the weapon, still his aim was true, Nor e'er in vain the fatal bullet flew."
- 10 Correctly aligned or calibrated, without deviation.
"Is my bike wheel true? It feels unsteady."
- 11 Fair, unbiased, not loaded.
"Let Z#95;t be twice the value of a true die shown on the t-th toss."
- 12 based on actual historical events.
"true crime"
Adjective
- 1 accurately placed or thrown wordnet
- 2 accurately fitted; level wordnet
- 3 devoted (sometimes fanatically) to a cause or concept or truth wordnet
- 4 in tune; accurate in pitch wordnet
- 5 expressing or given to expressing the truth wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 having a legally established claim wordnet
- 7 determined with reference to the earth's axis rather than the magnetic poles wordnet
- 8 rightly so called wordnet
- 9 not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed wordnet
- 10 consistent with fact or reality; not false wordnet
- 11 worthy of being depended on wordnet
- 12 conforming to definitive criteria wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Accurately; in alignment. not-comparable
"This gun shoots true."
- 2 Truthfully. archaic, not-comparable
"I tel you true my hart is ſwolne with wrath, On this ſame theeuish villain Tamburlain."
Adverb
- 1 as acknowledged wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 An unincorporated community in Summers County, West Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 A town in Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States. countable, uncountable
- 4 A townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. countable, uncountable
Example
"All that which is invented, is true."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "true"?
Common synonyms include: genuine, absolute, acceptable, accepted, accommodate, accord.
How do you use "true" in a sentence?
All that which is invented, is true.
How do you pronounce "true"?
Pronounced /tɹuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English trewe, from Old English trīewe, (Mercian) trēowe (“trusty, faithful”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiz (compare Saterland Frisian trjou (“honest”), Dutch getrouw and trouw, German treu, Norwegian and Swedish trygg (“safe, secure’”)), from pre-Germanic *drewh₂yos, from Proto-Indo-European *drewh₂- (“steady, firm”) (compare Irish dearbh (“sure”), Old Prussian druwis (“faith”), Ancient Greek δροόν (droón, “firm”)), extension of *dóru (“tree”) (possibly also Proto-Slavic *sъdorvъ (“healthy”) from the same root). More at tree. For the semantic development, compare Latin robustus (“tough”) from robur (“red oak”).
Etymology 2
Variant of truce.