Literary notes about mendacious (AI summary)
Literary authors employ "mendacious" to portray deceit and untruthfulness in a variety of characters and narratives. It is used to label individuals—whether aristocrats, military men, or even children—as habitual liars or as purveyors of falsehood, thereby casting doubt on the reliability of their statements [1, 2]. In some works, the term underscores the insidious nature of fabricated histories and embellished reputations, as seen in critiques of political figures and institutional narratives [3, 4, 5]. At times it even weaves irony and a touch of dark humor into dialogue, allowing writers to simultaneously chastise and entertain their readers [6, 7].
- According to his estimate, as reported by his mendacious son, Sir Lewis, the whole was worth £50,000.
— from Sir Walter Ralegh: A Biography by W. (William) Stebbing - Mendacious youth!—he had his hand extended for the coin and a fixed expression on his face that meant to get it or die.
— from Toronto by Gaslight: The Night Hawks of a Great City As Seen by the Reporters of "The Toronto News" by Toronto News - Every mendacious word is a wrong, excepting only when the occasion arises of defending oneself against violence or cunning.
— from The Basis of Morality by Arthur Schopenhauer - About the most mendacious vanity of the Egyptians, in which they ascribe to their science an antiquity of a hundred thousand years.
— from The City of God, Volume II by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - The mendacious captain was perfectly well aware that an affair of honor always makes a man stand well in the eyes of a woman.
— from Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo - "Oh, you naughty boy, you naughty, mendacious boy!" said a sprightly voice in Tressady's ear.
— from Sir George Tressady — Volume I by Ward, Humphry, Mrs. - "Abe, I 've come down to gather you in," announced the calmly mendacious detective.
— from Never-Fail Blake by Arthur Stringer
