How to Talk About Liars and Lying

1. you don't fool even some of the people

Everybody knows your propensity for avoiding facts. You have built so solid and unsavory a reputation that only a stranger is likely to be misled—and then, not for long.

A notorious liar

2. to the highest summits of artistry

Your ability is top-drawer—rarely does anyone lie as convincingly or as artistically as you do. Your skill has, in short, reached the zenith of perfection. Indeed, your mastery of the art is so great that your lying is almost always crowned with success.

A consummate liar

3. beyond redemption or salvation

You are impervious to correction. Often as you may be caught in your fabrications, there is no reforming you—you go right on lying despite the punishment, embarrassment, or unhappiness that your distortions of truth may bring upon you.

An incorrigible liar

4. too old to learn new tricks

You are the victim of firmly fixed and deep-rooted habits. Telling untruths is as frequent and customary an activity as brushing your teeth in the morning, or having toast and coffee for breakfast, or lighting up a cigarette after dinner. And almost as reflexive.

An inveterate liar

5. an early start

You have such a long history of persistent falsification that one can only suspect that your vice started when you were reposing in your mother's womb. In other words, and allowing for a great deal of exaggeration for effect, you have been lying from the moment of your birth.

A congenital liar

6. no letup

You never stop lying. While normal people lie on occasion, and often for special reasons, you lie continually—not occasionally or even frequently, but over and over.

A chronic liar

7. a strange disease

You are not concerned with the difference between truth and falsehood; you do not bother to distinguish fact from fantasy. In fact, your lying is a disease that no antibiotic can cure.

A pathological liar

8. no regrets

You are completely without a conscience. No matter what misery your fabrications may cause your innocent victims, you never feel the slightest twinge of guilt. Totally unscrupulous, you are a dangerous person to get mixed up with.

An unconscionable liar

9. smooth!

Possessed of a lively imagination and a ready tongue, you can distort facts as smoothly and as effortlessly as you can say your name. But you do not always get away with your lies. Ironically enough, it is your very smoothness that makes you suspect: your answers are too quick to be true.

A glib liar

10. outstanding!

Almost all lies are harmful; some are no less than vicious. If you are one type of liar, all your lies are vicious—calculatedly, predeterminedly, coldly, and advisedly vicious. In short, your lies are so outstandingly hurtful that people gasp in amazement and disgust at hearing them.

An egregious liar

1. well-known

"Widely but unfavorably known" is the common definition for notorious. A notorious gambler, thief, or killer has achieved a wide reputation for some form of antisocial behavior. The noun is notoriety (nō-tƏ-RĪ′-Ə-tee).

The derivation is from Latin notus, known, from which we also get noted.

2. plenty of room at the top

The top of a mountain is called the summit, derived from Latin summus, highest, which also gives us the mathematical term sum. A consummate artist has reached the very highest point of perfection; and to consummate (v.) (KON′-sƏ-mayt′) a marriage, a business deal, or a contract is, etymologically, to bring it to the highest point—to put the final touches to it, to bring it to completion.

To make a noun: add -ness → consummateness (KAHN′-sƏ-mƏt-nƏs), or add -acy → consummacy (kƏn-SUM′-Ə-see). The verb form yields consummation (kon′-sƏ-MAY′-shƏn).

3. no help

Call people incorrigible if they do anything to excess, and if all efforts to correct or reform them are to no avail. The word derives from Latin corrigo, to correct or set straight, plus the negative prefix in-. The noun is incorrigibility (in-kawr′-Ə-jƏ-BIL′-Ə-tee), or alternatively, incorrigibleness.

4. veterans

Inveterate, from Latin vetus, old, generally indicates disapproval. The noun is inveteracy (in-VET′-Ə-rƏ-see) or inveterateness.

A veteran (VET′-Ə-rƏn), as of the Armed Forces, grew older serving the country; otherwise a veteran is an old hand at the game (and therefore skillful). The word is both a noun and an adjective: a veteran actor, teacher, diplomat.

5. birth

Greek genesis, birth or origin, is the source of a great many English words. Genetics (jƏ-NET′-iks) is the science that treats of the transmission of hereditary characteristics from parents to offspring. The scientist specializing in the field is a geneticist (jƏ-NET′-Ə-sist), the adjective is genetic (jƏ-NET′-ik). The particle in the chromosome of the germ cell containing a hereditary characteristic is a gene (JEEN).

Genealogy (jee′-nee-AL′-Ə-jee) is the study of family trees or ancestral origins (logos, study). The practitioner is a genealogist (jee′-nee-AL′-Ə-jist); the adjective is genealogical (jee′-nee-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl).

The genital (JEN′-Ə-tƏl), or sexual, organs are involved in the process of conception and birth. The genesis (JEN′-Ə-sis) of anything is its beginning, birth, or origin. Hereditary (hƏ-RED′-Ə-tair′-ee) characteristics are acquired at the moment of conception.

1. of time and place

A chronic liar lies constantly, again and again and again; a chronic invalid is ill time after time, frequently, repeatedly. The derivation of the word is Greek chronos, time. The noun form is chronicity (krƏ-NIS′-Ə-tee).

An anachronism (Ə-NAK′-rƏ-niz-Əm) is someone or something out of time, out of date, belonging to a different era, either earlier or later. (The prefix ana-, like a-, is negative.) The adjective is anachronous (Ə-NAK′-rƏ-nƏs) or anachronistic (Ə-nak′-rƏ-NIS′-tik).

An anachronism is out of time; something out of place is incongruous (in-KONG′-grōō-Əs), a word combining the negative prefix in-, the prefix con-, with or together, and a Latin verb meaning to agree or correspond. The noun form is incongruity (in′-kƏng-GRōō′-Ə-tee).

Chronological (kron′-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl), in correct time order, comes from chronos. Chronology (krƏ-NOL′-Ə-jee) is the science of time order and the accurate dating of events (logos, science)—the expert in this field is a chronologist (krƏ-NOL′-Ə-jist).

A chronometer (krƏ-NOM′-Ə-tƏr), combining chronos with metron, measurement, is a highly accurate timepiece, especially one used on ships. Chronometry (krƏ-NOM′-Ə-tree) is the measurement of time—the adjective is chronometric (kron′-Ə-MET′-rik).

Add the prefix syn-, together, plus the verb suffix -ize, to chronos, and you have constructed synchronize (SIN′-krƏ-nīz′), etymologically to time together, or to move, happen, or cause to happen, at the same time or rate. The adjective is synchronous (SIN′-krƏ-nƏs); the noun form is synchronization (sin′-krƏ-nƏ-ZAY′-shƏn).

2. disease, suffering, feeling

Pathological is diseased (a pathological condition)—this meaning of the word ignores the root logos, science, study.

Pathology (pƏ-THOL′-Ə-jee) is the science or study of disease—its nature, cause, cure, etc. However, pathology may also be any morbid, diseased, or abnormal physical condition; in short, simply disease.

A pathologist (pƏ-THOL′-Ə-jist) is an expert who examines tissue, often by autopsy or biopsy, to diagnose disease and interpret the abnormalities in such tissue that may be caused by specific diseases.

Pathos occurs in some English words with the additional meaning of feeling. If you feel or suffer with someone, you are sympathetic (sim-pƏ-THET′-ik)—sym- is a respelling before the letter p of the Greek prefix syn-, with or together. The noun is sympathy (SIM′-pƏ-thee), the verb sympathize (SIM′-pƏ-thīz).

Antipathy (an-TIP′-Ə-thee), combining anti-, against, with pathos, is a feeling of hostility, dislike, or aversion—the adjective is antipathetic (an′-tƏ-pƏ-THET′-ik).

Combine the negative prefix a- with pathos and you have apathy (AP′-Ə-thee), absence of feeling, lack of emotional responsiveness, indifference—adjective: apathetic (ap-Ə-THET′-ik).

When you empathize (EM′-pƏ-thīz′) with someone, you identify so strongly with that person's feelings that you actually experience those feelings yourself. The prefix em- (a form of en-, in) plus pathos forms the noun empathy (EM′-pƏ-thee)—adjective: empathetic (em-pƏ-THET′-ik) or empathic (em-PATH′-ik).

A pathetic (pƏ-THET′-ik) person or situation obviously arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, or sorrow.

Telepathy (tƏ-LEP′-Ə-thee) is communication of feelings or thoughts from one person to another over a distance, without the use of the senses—adjective: telepathic (tel′-Ə-PATH′-ik).

1. knowing

Psychopaths commit antisocial and unconscionable acts—they are not troubled by conscience, guilt, remorse, etc. over what they have done.

Unconscionable and conscience are related in derivation—the first word from Latin scio, to know, the second from Latin sciens, knowing, and both using the prefix con-, with, together. Etymologically, your conscience is your knowledge with a moral sense of right and wrong; if you are unconscionable, your conscience is not (un-) working, or you have no conscience. The noun form is unconscionableness or unconscionability (un-kon′-shƏ-nƏ-BIL′-Ə-tee).

Conscious, also from con- plus scio, is knowledge or awareness of one's emotions or sensations, or of what's happening around one. Science, from sciens, is systematized knowledge as opposed to belief, faith, intuition, or guesswork.

Add Latin omnis, all, to sciens, to construct omniscient (om-NISH′-Ənt), all-knowing, possessed of infinite knowledge. The noun is omniscience (om-NISH′-Əns).

Add the prefix pre-, before, to sciens, to construct prescient (PREE′-shƏnt)—knowing about events before they occur, i.e., psychic, or possessed of unusual powers of prediction. The noun is prescience (PREE′-shƏns).

And, finally, add the negative prefix ne- to sciens to produce nescient (NESH′-Ənt), not knowing, or ignorant. The noun is nescience (NESH′-Əns).

2. fool some of the people…

Glib is from an old English root that means slippery. Glib liars or glib talkers are smooth and slippery; they have ready answers, fluent tongues, a persuasive air—but, such is the implication of the word, they fool only the most nescient, for their smoothness lacks sincerity and conviction. The noun is glibness.

3. herds and flocks

Egregious (remember the pronunciation? Ə-GREE′-jƏs) is from Latin grex, gregis, herd or flock. An egregious lie, act, crime, mistake, etc. is so exceptionally vicious that it conspicuously stands out (e-, a shortened form of the prefix ex-, out) from the herd or flock of other bad things. The noun is egregiousness (Ə-GREE′-jƏs-nƏs).

A person who enjoys companionship, who likes to be with the herd, who reaches out for friends and is happiest when surrounded by people—such a person is gregarious (grƏ-GAIR′-ee-Əs). The noun is gregariousness (grƏ-GAIR′-ee-Əs-nƏs).

Add the prefix con-, with, together, to grex, gregis, to get the verb congregate (KONG′-grƏ-gayt′); add the prefix se-, apart, to build the verb segregate (SEG′-rƏ-gayt′); add the prefix ad-, to, toward (ad- changes to ag- before a root starting with g-), to construct the verb aggregate (AG′-rƏ-gayt′).

The noun of congregate is congregation (kong′-grƏ-GAY′-shƏn), one of the meanings of which is a religious "flock." The noun of segregate is segregation (seg′-rƏ-GAY′-shƏn). Aggregate also serves as a noun (AG′-rƏ-gƏt), meaning a group or mass of individuals considered as a whole. The noun aggregation (ag′-rƏ-GAY′-shƏn) means the act of aggregating, or the mass formed.