somewhat untrue

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "somewhat untrue" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a statement or claim that is not entirely accurate or truthful, but not completely false either. Example: "While the report had some valid points, it was somewhat untrue in its portrayal of the events."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

This is somewhat untrue to what can be observed in reality, where in fact individuals typically aspire to their most successful neighbors rather than just somebody random.

Plosone

Self-assessment was on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = Very untrue; 2 = Untrue; 3 = Somewhat untrue; 4 = Neutral; 5 = Somewhat true; 6 = True; 7 = Very true).

BMC Medical Education

Responses to 10 statements are provided on a rating scale with response options 1 =  Absolutely Untrue, 2 =  Mostly Untrue, 3 =  Somewhat Untrue, 4 =  Can't Say True or False, 5 =  Somewhat True, 6 =  Mostly True, and 7 =  Absolutely True.

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Based on Rasch model diagnostics, two combinations of category collapses produced superior performance: One where category 1 (Absolutely untrue) was collapsed with category 2 (Mostly untrue), and category 3 (Somewhat untrue) with category 4 (Can't say true or false) – hereafter labelled MLQ-P-4 1122345; and one where categories 2, 3, and 4 were collapsed – hereafter labelled MLQ-P-4 1222345.

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Although the infit and outfit mean square statistics of the response categories adhered to the guidelines, the threshold calibrations of categories 2 (Mostly untrue), 3 (Somewhat untrue), and 4 (Can't say true or false) were disordered, pointing towards problematic use of the rating scale (see Table  5), which is also evident in the category probability curve (Fig.  1).

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Although the average measures and threshold calibrations increased monotonically as the categories increased, the threshold calibrations were close to each other, indicating that categories 2 (Mostly untrue), 3 (Somewhat untrue), and 4 (Can't say true or false) were the most likely to be endorsed on only a small portion of the latent construct (see Table  4 and Fig.  1).

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

This is not untrue, but then quantifying something like reef health is somewhat subjective, especially as the process is so slow.

Vice

A third said that Trump very often said things that were untrue, with 53percentt saying he did so at least somewhat often.

Huffington Post

The total tax burden on the private economy would be somewhat lighter than it is now — a bit of elementary Keynesianism that renders doubly untrue the Republican claim that Obama "will raise your taxes".

The New Yorker

As journalists and writers who avoid the kind of somewhat predatory, often invasive tactics deployed by tabloid outlets, we knew this to be untrue.

Vice

Twenty-four percent of those polled said that Clinton said untrue things very often, and 46percentthatat she did so at least somewhat often.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "somewhat untrue" to express that a statement has elements of both truth and falsehood, avoiding stronger terms like "false" when complete inaccuracy isn't the case.

Common error

Avoid using "somewhat untrue" when the statement is demonstrably and completely false. Choose a stronger term like "false" or "incorrect" for clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "somewhat untrue" functions as an adjective phrase modifying a noun or pronoun. It describes the extent to which something deviates from being true, indicating a partial or qualified falsehood. Ludwig AI confirms the phrase is suitable for use.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "somewhat untrue" is used to describe something that is not entirely accurate but also not completely false. It is grammatically correct and found in diverse contexts, including science and news media. Ludwig AI validates its correctness. While not as common as simpler phrases, it provides a nuanced way to express partial inaccuracy. Using "somewhat untrue" effectively means understanding when a softer, more qualified statement is appropriate, rather than a full denial. Related alternatives include "partially inaccurate" and "not entirely accurate".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Somewhat inaccurate

Highlights the presence of some inaccuracy.

Partially inaccurate

Indicates a statement contains some inaccuracies but isn't completely wrong.

Not entirely accurate

Suggests the statement has some level of inaccuracy or omission.

Slightly misleading

Implies the statement could lead to a wrong conclusion, even if it holds some truth.

Not quite true

Indicates a nuance of inexactness or approximation in the statement.

A bit off

Informal way of saying that the statement is not completely correct.

Kind of false

Informal expression suggesting a degree of falsehood.

Not wholly correct

Formal phrase suggesting the statement is partly wrong.

Partially correct

Emphasizes the presence of some accurate aspects, while implying others are not.

Questionable to some extent

Highlights that some portion of the statement is open to doubt.

FAQs

What does "somewhat untrue" mean?

The phrase "somewhat untrue" means that something isn't entirely accurate or truthful, but not completely false either. It suggests a partial inaccuracy.

How can I use "somewhat untrue" in a sentence?

You can use "somewhat untrue" to describe a statement that contains elements of both truth and falsehood. For example: "While the report had some valid points, it was somewhat untrue in its portrayal of the events."

What are some alternatives to "somewhat untrue"?

Alternatives to "somewhat untrue" include "partially inaccurate", "not entirely accurate", or "slightly misleading".

Is "somewhat untrue" the same as "false"?

No, "somewhat untrue" implies a degree of truth, whereas "false" indicates complete inaccuracy. Something that is "completely false" has no basis in truth.