liar

English

Alternative forms

• lyar (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English lier, liere, lyere, liȝer, lieȝer, legher, from Old English lēgere, lēogere (“liar, false witness, hypocrite”), from Proto-West Germanic *leugārī, from Proto-Germanic *leugārijaz (“liar”), from *leuganą (“to lie”) +‎ *-ārijaz, equivalent to lie +‎ -ar. More at lie.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪ.ə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪ.ɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: lyre, lier
• Hyphenation: li‧ar
• Rhymes: -aɪ.ə(ɹ)

Noun

liar (plural liars)

1. A person who frequently lies.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 15, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     She paused and took a defiant breath. ‘If you don't believe me, I can't help it. But I'm not a liar.’ ¶ ‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? […]’

2. (nautical, obsolete) A swabber responsible for cleaning the outside parts of the ship rather than the cabins, a role traditionally assigned to a person caught telling a lie the previous week.
   • 1703, Sir William Monson, Sir William Monson's Naval Tracts in Six Books, page 348:

     The Swabber is to keep the Cabbins, and all the Rooms of the Ship clean within board, and the Liar to do the like without board. The Liar holds his Place but for a week; and he that is first taken with a Lie upon a Monday morning, […] for that week he is under the Swabber, and meddles not with making clean the Ship within board, but without.

   • 2005, Caleb H. Johnson, The Mayflower and Her Passengers, page 35:

     The swabber, perhaps the lowliest position on the ship, was responsible for cleaning the decks. By tradition, each Monday a new crewmember was appointed the liar—the first person caught telling a lie the previous week.

Synonyms

• bluffer
• bullshitter
• contradictor
• deceiver
• fabricator
• fabulist
• falsifier
• fibber
• goofer
• gossiper
• nonsenser

Derived terms

• barefaced liar
• liar dice
• liar liar pants on fire
• liar loan
• liar paradox
• pathological liar
• the devil is a liar

 

Translations

one who tells lies

• Abkhaz: амцҳәаҩ (amcḥʷajʷ)
• Albanian: gënjeshtar (sq) m
• Arabic: كَاذِب m (kāḏib), كَاذِبَة f (kāḏiba), كَذَّاب m (kaḏḏāb), كَذَّابَة f (kaḏḏāba), كَذُوب m (kaḏūb), كَذُوبَة f (kaḏūba)

  Egyptian Arabic: كداب m (kaddāb)

  Gulf Arabic: چَذَّاب

  Hijazi Arabic: كَذَّاب m (kaddāb), نَصَّاب m (naṣṣāb), بَكَّاش m (bakkāš)

• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܟܕܒܐ m (kaddāḇā), ܟܕܒܬܐ f (kaddāḇtā), ܕܓܠܐ m (daggālā), ܕܓܠܬܐ f (daggāltā)

• Armenian: ստախոս (hy) (staxos), սուտասան (hy) (sutasan), խաբեբա (hy) (xabeba)
• Aromanian: minciunos m, minciunoasã f
• Azerbaijani: yalançı (az)
• Bashkir: алдаҡсы (aldaqsı)
• Basque: gezur (eu)
• Belarusian: ілгу́н m (ilhún), ілгу́нья f (ilhúnʹja), браху́н m (braxún), браху́ха f (braxúxa), хлус m (xlus), хлусе́лька f (xlusjélʹka), враль m (vralʹ)
• Bengali: মিথ্যাবাদী (bn) (mitthabadi), বেইমান (bn) (beiman), কাজেব (kajeb)
• Bikol Central:

  Bikol Legazpi: utikon

• Bulgarian: лъже́ц (bg) m (lǎžéc), лъжки́ня f (lǎžkínja), лъ́жльо (bg) m (lǎ́žljo)
• Catalan: mentider (ca) m, mentidera (ca) f
• Cebuano: bakakon
• Cherokee: ᎦᏰᎪᎩ (gayegogi)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 大話精／大话精 (daai⁶ waa⁶ zing¹)

  Mandarin: 說謊者／说谎者 (shuōhuǎngzhě)

• Czech: lhář (cs) m, lhářka (cs) f
• Dalmatian: boscurd m
• Danish: løgner (da) c
• Dutch: leugenaar (nl) m, leugenaarster (nl) f
• Esperanto: mensogulo, mensogulino (female)
• Estonian: valetaja (et), valevorst
• Even: өлэк (ölək)
• Ewe: aʋatsokala
• Finnish: valehtelija (fi)
• French: menteur (fr) m, menteuse (fr) f
• Galician: mentirán (gl) m, mentirana f, mentireiro (gl) m, mentireira f, troleiro (gl) m, troleira f
• Georgian: მატყუარა (maṭq̇uara)
• German: Lügner (de) m, Lügnerin (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌲𐌽𐌾𐌰 m (liugnja)
• Greek: ψεύτης (el) m (pséftis), ψεύτρα (el) f (pséftra)

  Ancient: ψεύστης m (pseústēs)

• Hebrew: שקרן / שַׁקְרָן m (shakrán), שקרנית \ שַׁקְרָנִית f (shakranít)
• Hindi: झूठा (hi) m (jhūṭhā)
• Hungarian: hazug (hu)
• Icelandic: lygari (is) m
• Indonesian: pembohong (id)
• Ingrian: pettelikko
• Irish: bréagadóir m, bréagach m, scaitseálaí m, éitheoir m
• Italian: bugiardo (it) m, bugiarda (it) f, mentitore (it) m, mentitrice f
• Jamaican Creole: liyad
• Japanese: 嘘つき (ja) (うそつき, usotsuki)
• Kashubian: łgôrz m, łgôrka f, łżél m
• Kazakh: жалғаншы (jalğanşy), кәззап (käzzap), өтірікші (ötırıkşı)
• Khmer: កំភរ (km) (kɑmphɔɔ), មនុស្សកុហក (mɔnuh kohɑk), មនុស្សភរ (mɔnuh phɔɔ), អ្នកភរ (nĕək phɔɔ)
• Kikuyu: mũheenania class 1
• Korean: 거짓말쟁이 (ko) (geojinmaljaeng'i)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: درۆزن (ckb) (drozn)

• Kyrgyz: калпычы (ky) (kalpıcı), жалганчы (ky) (jalgancı)
• Ladino:

  Latin: mintirozo m, mintiroza f

• Lao: ຄົນຂີ້ຕົວະ (khon khī tua), ຄົນຕົວະ (khon tua), ຄົນໂກຫົກ (khon kō hok), ຂີ້ຕົວະ (lo) (khī tua), ຂີ້ລ່າຽ (khī lāi)
• Latin: mendax (la) m or f, falsus m
• Latvian: melis m, mele f
• Lithuanian: melagis (lt) m, melagė f
• Macedonian: лажго m (lažgo), лажга m (lažga), лажливец m (lažlivec), лажливка f (lažlivka), лажач m (lažač), лажачка f (lažačka)
• Malay: penipu, pembohong
• Maltese: giddieb m
• Manx: breagerey m, breageyder m
• Maori: rūkahu, rūpahu, arero horihori, arero hīanga, arero teka
• Middle English: lier, losengeour
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: худалч хүн (xudalč xün)

• Navajo: biyoochʼídí
• Ngazidja Comorian: mndru wa ndrabo class 1/2
• Norman: mensongi m, menteux m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: løgner m, løgnhals m

  Nynorsk: lygnar m, løgnar m, lygnhals m, løgnhals m

• Old French: menteor m
• Persian: دروغگو (fa) (doruğgu), دروزن (fa) (doruzan) (classic)
• Plautdietsch: Läajna m
• Polabian: låzaikă m
• Polish: kłamca (pl) m, łgarz (pl) m, kłamczuch (pl) m (colloquial), kłamczucha (pl) f, łeż (pl) m (obsolete)

  Old Polish: fałesznik, fałszerz, lhacz, łeż, łgarz, matacz

• Portuguese: mentiroso (pt) m, mentirosa (pt) f
• Romanian: mincinos (ro) m, mincinoasă f
• Russian: лгун (ru) m (lgun), лгу́нья (ru) f (lgúnʹja), лжец (ru) m (lžec), врун (ru) m (vrun), вру́нья (ru) f (vrúnʹja), обма́нщик (ru) m (obmánščik), обма́нщица (ru) f (obmánščica), вруни́шка (ru) m or f (vruníška) (mild), враль (ru) m (vralʹ), бреху́н (ru) m (brexún), бреху́нья (ru) f (brexúnʹja) (colloquial), брехло́ (ru) n (brexló) (colloquial), трепло́ (ru) n (trepló) (colloquial), пиздабо́л (ru) m (pizdaból) (vulgar), пиздаплёт m (pizdapljót) (vulgar), пизду́н (ru) m (pizdún) (vulgar), пизду́нья f (pizdúnʹja) (vulgar)
• Scottish Gaelic: breugaire m, breugadair m, breugaiche m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ла̀жов m, ла̀жљивац m, ла̀жљивица m

  Roman: làžov (sh) m, làžljivac (sh) m, làžljivica (sh) f

• Sicilian: mbrugghiuni (scn) m, trastularu m
• Silesian: cygōn m, szulyrz m, wichłŏcz m
• Slovak: klamár m, klamárka f, luhár m
• Slovene: lažnívec (sl) m, lažnivka f
• Southern Altai: јалганчак (ǰalgančak)
• Spanish: mentiroso (es) m, mentirosa (es) f, embustero (es) m, embustera (es) f
• Swahili: mwongo (sw)
• Swedish: lögnare (sv) c
• Tagalog: sinungaling, echosera, charotera
• Tajik: дурӯғгӯй (durüġgüy), каззоб (kazzob)
• Tatar: ялганчы (tt) (yalgançı)
• Telugu: అబద్ధాలకోరు (te) (abaddhālakōru)
• Thai: ผู้มุสา (pûu-mú-sǎa), คนโกหก (kon-goo-hòk), คนพูดปด (kon-pûut-bpòt), คนพูดเท็จ (kon-pûut-tét)
• Tibetan: ཀྱག་རྗུན་ཤོད་མཁན (kyag rjun shod mkhan)
• Turkish: yalancı (tr)
• Turkmen: ýalançy, aldawçy (tk)
• Ukrainian: бреху́н (uk) m (brexún), бреху́ха (uk) f (brexúxa), бреху́нка (uk) f (brexúnka), брехло́ n (brexló) (colloquial)
• Urdu: جھوٹھا m (jhūṭhā)
• Uyghur: يالغانچى (yalghanchi)
• Uzbek: yolgʻonchi (uz)
• Vietnamese: kẻ nói dối (vi), kẻ nói láo (vi), kẻ nói điêu (vi)
• Volapük: lugan (vo), hilugan (male), jilugan (female)
• Welsh: celwyddgi (cy)
• Yiddish: ליגנער m (ligner), שקרן m (shakren), כּזבֿן (kazvn), דובֿר־שקרים m (doyver-shkorim), ליגנערין f (lignerin), ליגנערקע f (lignerke), שקרנטע f (shákrente), כּזבֿנטע f (kázvnte)

Anagrams

• Lair, aril, lair, lari, lira, rail, rial

Portuguese

Etymology

Possibly borrowed from Old French lier, from Latin ligāre. Doublet of ligar and legar.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /liˈa(ʁ)/ [lɪˈa(h)], (faster pronunciation) /ˈlja(ʁ)/ [ˈlja(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /liˈa(ʁ)/ [lɪˈa(h)], (faster pronunciation) /ˈlja(ʁ)/ [ˈlja(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /liˈa(ɾ)/ [lɪˈa(ɾ)], (faster pronunciation) /ˈlja(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /liˈa(ʁ)/ [lɪˈa(χ)], (faster pronunciation) /ˈlja(ʁ)/ [ˈlja(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /liˈa(ɻ)/ [lɪˈa(ɻ)], (faster pronunciation) /ˈlja(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈljaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈljaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈlja.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: li‧ar

Verb

liar (first-person singular present lio, first-person singular preterite liei, past participle liado) (transitive)

1. to tie

   Synonyms: atar, amarrar

2. to connect, to link

   Synonym: ligar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of liar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	liar
Personal	liar	liares	liar	liarmos	liardes	liarem
Gerund
	liando
Past participle
Masculine	liado			liados
Feminine	liada			liadas
Indicative
Present	lio	lias	lia	liamos	liais	liam
Imperfect	liava	liavas	liava	liávamos	liáveis	liavam
Preterite	liei	liaste	liou	liamos1, liámos2	liastes	liaram
Pluperfect	liara	liaras	liara	liáramos	liáreis	liaram
Future	liarei	liarás	liará	liaremos	liareis	liarão
Conditional	liaria	liarias	liaria	liaríamos	liaríeis	liariam
Subjunctive
Present	lie	lies	lie	liemos	lieis	liem
Imperfect	liasse	liasses	liasse	liássemos	liásseis	liassem
Future	liar	liares	liar	liarmos	liardes	liarem
Imperative
Affirmative		lia	lie	liemos	liai	liem
Negative (não)		não lies	não lie	não liemos	não lieis	não liem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Derived terms

• liação

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin ligāre, possibly through the intermediate of Old French lier in the Middle Ages, as it appeared relatively late in Spanish texts. See also the doublet ligar, a semi-learned term, as well as the inherited Old Spanish form legar (“to tie, bind”) (in modern Spanish, this word survives as a rare regionalism, often with a specialized sense such as "tie or bind a sheep for shearing", or "to join together, unite").

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈljaɾ/ [ˈljaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: liar

Verb

liar (first-person singular present lío, first-person singular preterite lie, past participle liado)

1. to bind, tie
2. to wrap, wrap up
3. to roll (a cigarette)
4. (colloquial) to deceive, confuse
5. (reflexive, colloquial, Spain) to french, snog, make out

Conjugation

    Conjugation of liar (i-í alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			liar
gerund			liando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		liado		liada
		plural		liados		liadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	lío	líastú liasvos	lía	liamos	liais	lían
	imperfect	liaba	liabas	liaba	liábamos	liabais	liaban
	preterite	lie	liaste	lio	liamos	liasteis	liaron
	future	liaré	liarás	liará	liaremos	liaréis	liarán
	conditional	liaría	liarías	liaría	liaríamos	liaríais	liarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	líe	líestú liesvos2	líe	liemos	lieis	líen
	imperfect (ra)	liara	liaras	liara	liáramos	liarais	liaran
	imperfect (se)	liase	liases	liase	liásemos	liaseis	liasen
	future1	liare	liares	liare	liáremos	liareis	liaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		líatú liavos	líe	liemos	liad	líen
	negative		no líes	no líe	no liemos	no lieis	no líen

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of liar (i-í alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive liar
	dative	liarme	liarte	liarle, liarse	liarnos	liaros	liarles, liarse
	accusative	liarme	liarte	liarlo, liarla, liarse	liarnos	liaros	liarlos, liarlas, liarse
with gerund liando
	dative	liándome	liándote	liándole, liándose	liándonos	liándoos	liándoles, liándose
	accusative	liándome	liándote	liándolo, liándola, liándose	liándonos	liándoos	liándolos, liándolas, liándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative lía
	dative	líame	líate	líale	líanos	not used	líales
	accusative	líame	líate	líalo, líala	líanos	not used	líalos, líalas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative lia
	dative	liame	liate	liale	lianos	not used	liales
	accusative	liame	liate	lialo, liala	lianos	not used	lialos, lialas
with formal second-person singular imperative líe
	dative	líeme	not used	líele, líese	líenos	not used	líeles
	accusative	líeme	not used	líelo, líela, líese	líenos	not used	líelos, líelas
with first-person plural imperative liemos
	dative	not used	liémoste	liémosle	liémonos	liémoos	liémosles
	accusative	not used	liémoste	liémoslo, liémosla	liémonos	liémoos	liémoslos, liémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative liad
	dative	liadme	not used	liadle	liadnos	liaos	liadles
	accusative	liadme	not used	liadlo, liadla	liadnos	liaos	liadlos, liadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative líen
	dative	líenme	not used	líenle	líennos	not used	líenles, líense
	accusative	líenme	not used	líenlo, líenla	líennos	not used	líenlos, líenlas, líense

Derived terms

• liarla
• liarlas
• lío

 

Further reading

• “liar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Noun

liar

1. indefinite plural of lie

Anagrams

• ilar, lira