Is it the real thing? These ten words answer that question in different ways. Some promise that something is real, lawful or true to its name; others warn that it is fake, made up or a lie.
Key idea
Real: authentic, bona fide, legitimate, veritable. Fake: spurious, bogus, counterfeit. Made up or untrue: apocryphal (a story that is probably not true), fictitious (invented) and mendacious (lying).
The ten words
Common mistake
apocryphal stories are doubtful, not proven false. veritable stresses that a description fits (a veritable feast); it does not mean "literally."
| word | real or fake? | you might hear |
|---|---|---|
| authentic | real, not a copy | an authentic fossil |
| bona fide | real; in good faith | a bona fide offer |
| legitimate | lawful; fair | a legitimate reason |
| veritable | truly deserving the name | a veritable feast |
| spurious | false, though it looks true | a spurious argument |
| bogus | fake | a bogus prize |
| counterfeit | faked to fool people | counterfeit money |
| apocryphal | probably not true | an apocryphal tale |
| fictitious | made up | a fictitious town |
| mendacious | lying | a mendacious witness |
Two words people often stretch. An apocryphal story is doubtful, not proven false: it is told and retold, but no one can show that it happened. And veritable stresses that a description fits (a veritable feast, a veritable army of ants); it does not mean that something is literally true.