まことしやか

ま

こ

と

し

や

か

Meanings

na-adjective

plausible but untrue; specious; seemingly truthful

usually written using kana alone

Describes a statement, story, or claim that sounds believable but is actually false or deceptive. Often used with words like 嘘 (lie), 話 (story), or 言い訳 (excuse).

彼かれはまことしやかな嘘うそをついた。
He told a plausible lie.
その話はなしはまことしやかに聞きこえたが、全ぜん部ぶ作つくり話ばなしだった。
The story sounded credible, but it was all made up.

Kanji

実reality, truth, seed
真true, reality, Buddhist sect
誠sincerity, admonish, warn

Related words

もっともらしいN1
まことしやか describes something dressed up to sound true, very close to 尤もらしい but slightly more literary and used mainly for statements or rumors.

Written forms

まことしやかUsage99%
The word is usually written in kana; the kanji forms are rare.
実まことしやかUsage1%
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.
真まことしやか
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.
誠まことしやか
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.

Etymology

Derived from 真 (まこと, truth) + しやか, a suffix that adds a sense of 'seeming' or 'appearing'. The exact origin of しやか is uncertain, but it may be related to the classical auxiliary し (emphatic) and やか (adjectival suffix).