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Medieval · word · adverb

Forsooth

for-SOOTH /fɔɹˈsuθ/ (US)pronunciation given by a dictionary

First recordedbefore 1100

Old English (before 1100)

'In truth, indeed' — from 'for' plus 'sooth' (truth). By about 1600 it already sounded affected, and it came to be used sarcastically to show contempt or doubt; today it mostly signals mock-archaic speech.

Where it was first recorded

Old English 'forsoð' — first recorded date per Etymonline and Merriam-Webster ('before the 12th century'); work not named.

Also spelled: forsoð (Old English), for soth, forsothe, forsoþe

In its own time

He will forsooth have all my prisoners,
William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1, Act I, Scene iii (Hotspur, scornfully), probably written mid-1590s, first printed 1598 (Project Gutenberg Complete Works text) · read it

Today

Modern exampleHe's too busy to help, forsooth — busy watching football.

Harmless — used today almost only for comic, mock-medieval or sarcastic effect.

Questions

What does forsooth mean?

'In truth, indeed' — from 'for' plus 'sooth' (truth). By about 1600 it already sounded affected, and it came to be used sarcastically to show contempt or doubt; today it mostly signals mock-archaic speech.

When was forsooth first used?

It is first recorded Old English (before 1100) — Old English 'forsoð' — first recorded date per Etymonline and Merriam-Webster ('before the 12th century'); work not named.

Can you still use forsooth today?

Harmless — used today almost only for comic, mock-medieval or sarcastic effect.

Sources

  1. forsooth — Etymonline (Online Etymology Dictionary)
  2. forsooth — Merriam-Webster
  3. forsooth — Wiktionary
  4. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Henry IV, Part 1) — Project Gutenberg

Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above

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