Idiom
kernel of truth
Meaning
A core accuracy at the heart of a claim or narrative which also contains dubious or fictitious elements.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“His wild story actually contains a small kernel of truth.”
“Although the rumors about the company were mostly exaggerated, there was a kernel of truth in the report about their financial struggles.”
“While the politician's speech was largely dismissed as populist rhetoric, critics admitted that it contained a kernel of truth regarding the growing economic divide.”
Examples
simple
“His wild story actually contains a small kernel of truth.”
contextual
“Although the rumors about the company were mostly exaggerated, there was a kernel of truth in the report about their financial struggles.”
complex
“While the politician's speech was largely dismissed as populist rhetoric, critics admitted that it contained a kernel of truth regarding the growing economic divide.”
Key words
Related idioms
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