Line #103 Main/LyingByOmission


1	->'''Shirogane:''' I've never been turned down in my life!\
2	'''Narration:''' ''Not a lie, since he's never confessed his love to anyone.''
3	-->-- ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar''
4
5	This is a statement that is clearly literally true but doesn't give the whole truth, used instead of outright lying. Usually done because it avoids making a SnowballLie and there's no inconsistencies to tip the audience/listener that a lie has been told. But this also might be done due to the presence of something that punishes or prevents direct lies, to bypass a LivingLieDetector, or they're just someone who really WillNotTellALie. Perhaps it's done to preserve a veil of PlausibleDeniability to hide behind when inevitably confronted for their blatantly [[SelfServingMemory self-serving story]] ("I didn't have the whole story!").
6
7	If none of those are true and there's no risk in lying directly, it might just be because the speaker is a {{Trickster\|s}} that wants to engage in wordplay.
8
9	Misleading with the truth has two ways to do it:
10	## Creating a difference between the speaker's truth and the meaning they intend their listener to get, such as the speaker saying "X will happen", where the speaker means "happens eventually" instead of the "happens soon" that the listener assumes. Often overlaps with ExactWords but not MathematiciansAnswer.
11	## Satisfying only the question asked, like asking if a HumanSubspecies is a human while searching ''for'' that subspecies. A "yes" is still correct because they're a type of human. Often able to overlap with MathematiciansAnswer.
12
13	See MetaphoricallyTrue for those cases (like [[Franchise/StarWars "Darth Vader betrayed and murdered your father"]]) that depend on a really shaky technicality or turn of phrase, in that case, that those were two separate people, and physical murder instead of the same person, being changed by a decision. Some instances of JusticeByOtherLegalMeans can also involve tricking the suspect into incriminating themselves with lies of omission, for example saying that the investigating agency doesn't have jurisdiction and omitting that another agency does.
14
15	Supertrope to:
16	[[index]]
17	* AsbestosFreeCereal: An advertising trope where a true but ''irrelevant'' fact about the product is presented as a positive.
18	* LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics: The use of statistics to mislead, usually by oversimplifying the results from real studies to make the conclusions sound more definitive and farther-reaching than the authors intended.
19	* NeverNeedsSharpening: An advertising trope where a true ''negative'' fact about the product is presented as a positive.
20	* PushPolling: Manipulating a poll's result to push an agenda.
21	* QuoteMine: Taking the words someone actually said, but changing their apparent meaning by removing necessary context.
22	* SarcasticConfession: Telling the truth in such a way that your listeners will believe you're joking or lying.
23	* SelectiveStupidity: Cherry-picking a survey's responses to make a certain demographic look stupid.
24	[[/index]]
25
26	Compare and contrast with:
27	* ExactWords: A statement that while literally true, has a letter that's untrue to the spirit instead of directly omitting anything, though the intent to deceive and adherence to the letter means they often overlap.
28	* FalseReassurance: An answer that sounds reassuring but actually means the opposite; it's equally likely to involve a lie of omission or a MetaphoricallyTrue claim.
29	* MathematiciansAnswer: Another form of ExactWords, but this time an overly logical reply to the question-as-asked (and not the question the speaker clearly ''meant''). May sometimes be used to deceive, but far more likely to be used for obstructive pedantry or {{Straw Vulcan}}ry.
30	* ThatCameOutWrong: When a character tries to tell the truth, but accidentally misleads others through poor phrasing.
31	* VillainsNeverLie: When a villain manipulates by telling the truth. Overlaps if the villain's truth is only partial in nature.
32	* YouDidntAsk: Omitting information because you weren't asked for it, not because of an intent to deceive.
33
34	----
35
36	!!Examples
37
38	[[foldercontrol]]
39
40	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
41	* ''Manga/BungoStrayDogs'': After Chuuya loses a bet, Dazai offers him another chance by proposing they bet on who can solve the mystery behind the dead boss sightings first, with the loser having to obey the winner. However, Dazai neglects to mention that he already solved the case, and thus Chuuya has no shot at winning.
42	* Everything Ryuk says in ''Manga/DeathNote'' is true. The problem is that he ''never'' gives you the entire context. Like his telling Light not to think a human who's used a Death Note is able to go to Heaven or Hell [[spoiler:actually means there's [[CessationOfExistence no afterlife for anyone.]]]] Though Light already figured that to be the case on his own.
43	* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'': When Senshi joins Laios' team in exploring the dungeon, he tells them that he's been living off the dungeon for more than ten years. He's actually been there for ''76'' years and has a DarkAndTroubledPast.
44	* ''Manga/IThinkOurSonIsGay'': Hiroki's still in the {{closet\|Gay}}, so when he is pressed to tell some of his friends about his crush in Chapter 28, he describes Daigo truthfully but [[GenderConcealingWriting without using pronouns]], so as to let his friends assume he's talking about a girl.
45	* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'': Shirogane states a fact about his love life, which implies a false reality, that the narration calls him out on:
46	-->'''Shirogane:''' I've never been turned down in my life!\
47	'''Narration:''' ''Not a lie, since he's never confessed his love to anyone.''
48	* ''Anime/MyHime'': This is Nagi's entire M.O. He will tell the girls something important, but he will omit key details. He tells each of them that if they choose to fight, they'll have to risk what is most precious to them. [[spoiler:By which he means the person they love most in the world.]] In another episode, he tells them [=HiME=] aren't allowed to fight each other. [[spoiler:Yet. Doing so would reveal the first half-truth before his master, the Obsidian Prince, awakes.]] Essentially, if Nagi says something, it's true, but not the whole truth.
49	* ''Franchise/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Kyubey does this with pretty every magical girl he contracts, leaving out vital details about what it means to be a magical girl, like [[spoiler:the fact that your soul gets ripped out and turned into a gemstone or that you inevitably turn into the very witches you fight]]. Kyubey claims that he doesn't understand how omitting information is considered deceptive and is confused when humans get mad about it.
50	* Everything Xellos from ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' says is true, but he never gives the right context. If directly asked to elaborate, he says his Catch Phrase "Sore wa himitsu desu" ("It's a secret").
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Fan Works]]
54	* ''Fanfic/TheDimensionalDrifter'': Several people, in order to hide their status as {{Dimensional Traveller}}s, use half-truths when asked about their origin. A common line is that they're "out of town". Such things are also used for other things, such as when Judai is trying to hide that Yuto and Kurosaki came from a warzone -- he calls them "teenagers with trust issues".
55	* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': The GodOfGood-collective-provided truth-detection magic circles flash green for truth and red for lies, and said in "Skirmishing" to have problems with questions like "Are you human?" for a UnevenHybrid that's majority human, where it would allow "Yes" as a truthful answer, letting them keep their possibly demonic ancestry hidden:
56	-->This kind of half-truth was one aspect where the magic could have problems with.
57	* ''Fanfic/TheGiwMeetsItsMatch'': In "Compounding Disaster Control", When the truth about the Guys In White wanted to nuke the Amity Park gets to the CDC, one scientist complained that they were told that it was just a dirty bomb. Lt Charles pointed out that a nuke ''is'' a dirty bomb, just one that can be lobbed thousands of miles.
58	* ''Fanfic/InterNos'': Shizuru learns that a governor has been selling Himean citizenship illegally and allowing exorbitant usury rates by tax collectors who double as money lenders. She tells him if he puts a list together of everyone to whom he sold the citizenship, refrains from doing so in the future, and restricts the lenders' fees, she won't bring charges against him in bribery court. [[spoiler:She doesn't tell him that she sent a full account of his transgressions to her fellow Senator, Mai Tokiha, who will be the one to bring charges.]]
59	* ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': When trying to reassure Tyrion as to his sister's fate (since Cersei's body is nowhere to be found in the ruins of King's Landing), the Wolf tells him it's certain Cersei is aboard a ship (implying she's halfway to Essos by then). He should know; [[spoiler:he abducted Cersei the day of the attack and she's currently held prisoner onboard the Wolf's ship]].
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Films — Animated]]
63	* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'': An oracle tells Aladdin that his father, Cassim, is trapped within the world of the Forty Thieves. Well, he is. It's just that Cassim is not only there voluntarily, he's their leader, and what he's trapped by is his own greed.
64	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'', [[CharacterNarrator the leader of the mariachi band]] says that [[spoiler:Rango will die.]] The movie's plot progresses and [[spoiler:he's still alive and well to see the end credits.]] When one of the band members questions the narrator on this, he says that [[spoiler:Rango will still die -- ''someday,'' [[LifeWillKillYou because everyone does]].]]
65	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', Flynn Rider's opening narration includes the phrase "This is the story of how I died." He then hurriedly adds that the audience shouldn't worry because it's actually a very fun story and it isn't really even about him, thus leading you to understand that he was pulling your leg. [[spoiler:Except he wasn't. He ''does'' die, in point of fact. [[DisneyDeath He omits that he doesn't stay dead.]]]]
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
69	* ''Film/TheCannonballRun'': The state police pull over the ambulance of J.J. [=McClure=] and company, and inquire why an ambulance is driving hella fast on the interstate. When told [=McClure=] is transporting a patient, Nikolas Van Helsing emerges and explains that the patient cannot withstand the pressurized compartments of an airliner, and that only a specialized treatment in California can save her. The police ask Van Helsing if he's really a doctor, and he affirms that he is. What he omits is that he's a doctor of veterinary medicine, specializing in bovine prolapses; he's completely out of his depth as an attending physician.
70	* In ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', Goldfinger offers his creditors a tenfold increase in repayment of the gold he owes them if they wait for the completion of his plan to break into Fort Knox. While they conclude he means to just steal the gold, he actually intends [[spoiler:to just [[NukeEm set off a nuclear bomb inside]], changing the value of the gold he's paying them]].
71	* ''Film/KissingJessicaStein'': When Jessica's mother asks why she's so happy lately, Jessica replies that there's no boy involved. She's actually dating Helen.
72	* ''Film/KnivesOut'': Marta is [[CannotTellALie literally unable to tell a lie without immediately puking]], and lying by omission is just about her only defense when being questioned during a murder investigation. When Benoit interviews her about her whereabouts the night of Harlan's death, she -- [[ExactWords choosing her words very carefully]] -- says that as his nurse, she took him upstairs around midnight, gave him his pain medication, then went home, excluding the fact that [[spoiler:to her knowledge, she [[AccidentalMurder had accidentally given him a fatal overdose]]]]. She still ends up vomiting once the interview is over and is out of sight.
73	* ''Film/LiarLiar'' [[InvertedTrope inverts]] this when Fletcher [[CannotTellALie becomes unable to lie at all]], resulting in a large amount of traffic tickets.
74	* ''Film/ThePinkPantherStrikesAgain'': PlayedForLaughs when Clouseau visits a hotel that has a dog in the lobby, asks the manager "Does your dog bite?", [[FalseReassurance is answered "No"]], and gets bitten as soon as he tries to pet it.
75	-->'''Clouseau:''' I thought you said your dog did not bite!\
76	'''Manager:''' That is not my dog.
77	* Used in several of the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' films, mostly by Spock.
78	** ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' has the first case: Spock informs Captain Kirk by communicator that "going by the book, like Lieutenant Saavik, hours would seem like days" before reporting that the ''Enterprise'' would need two days to have secondary power restored... "By the book, Admiral". After Kirk's away team gets stranded on Regula I by Khan:
79	--->'''Kirk:''' ''[opening communicator]'' Kirk to Spock, it's two hours, are you ready?\
80	'''Spock:''' Right on schedule, Admiral.\
81	'''Saavik:''' ''[Soon after, on the ''Enterprise'']'' I don't understand. We were immobilized. Captain Spock said it would be two days.\
82	'''Kirk:''' Come, come, Lieutenant. You of all people go by the book: "If communications are being monitored during battle..."\
83	'''Saavik:''' "...no uncoded messages on an open channel." ''[turns to Spock, astonished]'' You ''lied''.\
84	'''Spock:''' I exaggerated.
85	** ''Film/StarTrek2009'': [[EmotionsVersusStoicism Emotions are stigmatized]] on Vulcan, so Spock's father Sarek claims that "marrying your mother was [[SharePhrase logical]]", disappointing Spock with the clinical response. He later clarifies in a [[NotSoStoic more vulnerable moment]] -- it's logical to [[MarryForLove marry the one you love]].
86	* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
87	** ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'': Count Dooku unsuccessfully attempts to persuade Obi-Wan Kenobi to switch sides to the Separatists by expounding on the corruption of the Republic Senate and that the Republic is now under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith. This is, in fact, literally true, but for obvious reasons, he omits the part where Darth Sidious is also ''his own'' master and is [[PlayingBothSides simultaneously puppeteering the Separatists]].
88	** ''Film/TheLastJedi'': Kylo Ren manages to fool a MindProbe like this. Reading his thoughts, his EvilMentor Snoke sees Kylo "turning the lightsaber to strike true, and now... he ignites it, and kills his true enemy!" [[spoiler:Kylo is holding one lightsaber to [[EnemyMine Rey]]'s chest, but the lightsaber he ignites, [[MindOverMatter telekinetically]], is the one resting at Snoke's side, pointing straight at Snoke.]]
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Literature]]
92	* ''Literature/AlexisCarew: Mutineer'': [[ISurrenderSuckers Falsely surrendering]] is forbidden under the FictionalGenevaConventions. After being deliberately marooned in a non-FTL-capable shuttle in enemy territory by Captain Neals, Alexis hails an enemy cutter and pretends to be a terrified midshipman with a drunken crew. The other captain demands she formally surrender as a condition of him helping her, and she replies that, "It would appear I have no choice in the matter." Well, [[ExactWords appearances can be deceiving]]: she leads a BoardingParty onto the enemy ship, captures it, and sails it back to base.
93	* PlayedForLaughs in L.M. Montgomery's ''[[Literature/AnneOfGreenGables Anne of Windy Poplars,]]'' when Anne, a teacher at the local school, is invited for dinner at the Taylor family's home. The father, Cyrus Taylor, is in the middle of one of his sulking fits, making dinner quite an awkward affair as he refuses to speak. Anne uses some ExactWords to imply to a visiting guest that Mr. Taylor has suddenly gone deaf in an effort to trick him into speaking, but when he doesn't deny it, it inspires the Taylor children to gleefully collaborate by implying their father is guilty of all sorts of offenses but never once stating he ''is'' guilty of them ("What would you think, Dr. Carter, of a man who makes his family live on fruit and eggs...nothing but fruit and eggs...just for a fad?," "What would you think of a husband who bit his wife when she put up curtains he didn't like...deliberately bit her?," "What would you think of a man who would go to a funeral...his father's funeral...in overalls?"). The final straw comes when his ''wife'' gets in on it, and mentions how beautifully "he" crochets without ever mentioning him by name. Mr. Taylor erupts in fury, trying to defend his reputation, before admitting he had it coming and the whole thing was ActuallyPrettyFunny.
94	* ''Literature/BooksOfTheRaksura'': When Stone first meets Moon and invites him to Indigo Cloud Court, he tells Moon that he's bringing back a present for his great-great-granddaughter Jade. The present turns out to be [[TheMatchmaker Moon himself]] -- [[IAmWho unknown to Moon]], he's an eligible Consort for a Queen like Jade. {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d later by Moon's relief that Stone didn't pretend the omission was anything but a lie.
95	* In Kylie Chan's ''Literature/DarkHeavens'' series, Mr. Chen is a wealthy Hong Kong businessman. When asked the source of his wealth, he prefers to reply that he does some martial arts training and various circumstances for the government, as well as some fieldwork before his daughter is born. If he's asked whether he means the Hong Kong or continental Chinese government, he says "above either," generally taken to mean he's with the UN. Inevitably, people assume he's a spy, and to THAT question he says he can't discuss it. In fact, he's a god in the CelestialBureaucracy and being, amongst other things, god of martial arts, he spends a lot of time teaching it to other gods.
96	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
97	** In ''Literature/AHatFullOfSky'', "never lie, but don't always tell the truth" is among the pieces of advice Miss Tick gives Tiffany.
98	** ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'': Jackrum often says "Upon my oath, I am not a dishonest/violent man". While the intended meaning is "but look what you made me do", [[spoiler:the truth is that she is actually a woman.]]
99	** ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'': "No monk here knows [[FantasticFightingStyle deja-fu!]] I'd soon hear about it if they did." This is true. [[spoiler:None of the Time Monks know how to use time itself as a weapon in martial arts. Lu-Tze, however, is not a Time Monk...]]
100	** Carrot does this surprisingly frequently when negotiating with hostile characters. However, he has never (as far as anyone can prove) told a direct lie. In fact, he has a tendency to use the truth as a weapon. Both he and his it's-complicated Angua have told someone impeding their progress that unless the person stands down, they'll be forced to carry out the orders they were given regarding resistance, and that they'll regret it terribly if they do, but they won't have any choice. In the circumstances, an implied threat is very clear -- ShameIfSomethingHappened. However, the orders on both occasions were "leave the offending party alone, and see if you can find a workaround in this morass." The people they're sort of threatening never notice.
101	--->"Sergeant Colon was lost in admiration. He'd seen people bluff on a bad hand, but he'd never seen anyone bluff with no cards."
102	** The witches at the end of ''Literature/WyrdSisters'' are quite clear in their own minds that they've told everyone the truth; Tomjon and the Fool are half-brothers, and Verence is the older. If people want to assume [[spoiler:that Verence is therefore the illegitimate son of the King and Mrs Fool, and entitled to claim the throne if Tomjon doesn't want it, rather than Verence being the illegitimate son of the elder Fool and the Queen, that's their problem]].
103	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': [[TheFairFolk Faeries]] CannotTellALie but can deceive people in every other way short of speaking a deliberate untruth. In ''Literature/ColdDays'', Harry belatedly realizes Cat Sith misled him about an important meeting by answering the letter of Harry's questions, not volunteering important information, and listening while Harry came to the wrong conclusions.
104	* ''Literature/{{Elydes}}'': From [[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/67742/elydes/chapter/1252258/chapter-48-silvertongue Chapter 48]]: Kai wants to keep his little sister Kea out of trouble, so he badgers a local hunter, Moui, into taking her on as an apprentice. Moui has a condition, though, wanting to know if she's as annoying as Kai is. Kai pauses, then promises that "my sister is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I've never known someone as kind and patient as she is," which is an accurate description of his ''other'' sister.
105	* In the ''Literature/{{Flashman}}'' novel ''Royal Flash'' Flashman swears that he will let a {{mook}} who has tried to kill him go, if he tells him what he wants to know. The mook tells and Flashman lets him go ... over a cliff and into a chasm. [[YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo He said he would let him go!]]
106	* In ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'', the Ancient Language can't be used to speak falsehood. Aware of partial truths, elves have a special gesture to [[DefiedTrope promise that they won't use omission to mislead each other]].
107	* ''Literature/TheLastBinding'': When Robin is interrogated with a spell that compels truthful answers, he finds that not only does the magic allow ExactWords and lies of omission, it seems to ''enjoy'' them. In particular, he can agree that someone "would have hidden" the MacGuffin in a particular place, leaving out that he doesn't think it's actually ''there'' anymore.
108	* ''Literature/TheLockedTomb'': It's mentioned in "As Yet Unsent" that TheEmpire likes to trap other governments in {{Leonine Contract}}s that expire upon TheEmperor's death, not mentioning that he's a 10 000-year-old ImmortalRuler.
109	* In Holly Black's [[Literature/ModernFaerieTales Modern Faerie]] trilogy, pixie Kaye invokes this to fulfill a quest to find a faerie who could lie, which is impossible. She succeeds by claiming SHE can lie. [[spoiler:She can lie...on the ground.]]
110	* ''Literature/MoreThanYoullEverKnow'' has a false murder confession that uses GoryDiscretionShot to imply "I killed him" while not ''actually'' lying about that. [[spoiler:Lore confesses to Cassie that she killed Andres, TakingTheHeat for someone else. She was 11 or 12 weeks pregnant, cramping and bleeding, and terrified she was miscarrying. When her lover Andres confronted Lore about her SecretOtherFamily, he shoved her--not enough force to be dangerous most of the time, but enough to be dangerous to a pregnancy only holding on by a thread to begin with. A wave of MamaBear terror for her baby seized Lore, and then... GoryDiscretionShot. Except GoryDiscretionShot is just a storytelling technique, not an actual event that can occur. The part of the story that Lore does not tell Cassie is that after Andres shoved her, he stepped back, afraid of his own potential for violence, and both lovers left the encounter alive.]]
111	* In ''Literature/TheMurderOfRogerAckroyd'', [[spoiler:the narrator's documentation of the case]] never lies, but omits key details, [[spoiler:such as the fact that he is the murderer]].
112	* ''Literature/OldKingdom'': Mogget's RestrainingBolt [[CannotTellALie prevents him from lying]], but he misleads people quite well with selective truths. In ''Clariel'', he makes an UnwittingPawn of the title character by telling her that Free Magic spirits will serve her for life ([[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters if she can force them to]]), that she can use TheDarkSide temporarily without harm (with lots of skilled help afterwards to heal its corruption), and that he's helping her to gain his freedom ([[spoiler:by bringing down the Old Kingdom]]).
113	* In ''Literature/PleaseDontTellMyParentsImASupervillain'', the VillainProtagonist Penelope Akk is able to fool her LivingLieDetector Mother Beatrice "The Audit" Akk by setting up events so that she can make a true statement about a few of her actions (and ConfessToALesserCrime or use an InfractionDistraction in a pinch), letting her mother assume that she told her the entirety of her actions.
114	* ''Literature/PrincessesOfThePizzaParlor'': "Boyfriends and other Minor Annoyances": Selvi says Starsinger disappeared, when asked about its location, the narration notes "honestly if not accurately", because while it did disappear in the previous Episode, she knows where it ended up.
115	* ''Literature/TheRavenTower'': Gods often deceive in this way because they CannotTellALie, such as by using "I have heard" to qualify statements that aren't true. Crucially, when the god in the Raven Tower of Vastai is asked if [[spoiler:it's the Raven, it proclaims that it's the god of Vastai, the god [[PatronGod responsible for sustaining the nation]], and the only god in the Tower. It's actually the god the Raven had secretly [[DivineDelegation dumped his duties on]]. The Raven [[GodIsDead is dead]].]]
116	* In ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' Clarice Starling tells Dr. Hannibal Lecter that her father was a marshal. Later on, when she is recounting to him how the man died, Lecter catches enough clues to easily deduce that the man had actually been a night watchman. Starling's defense is that the official job description had read "night marshal".
117	* At the end of ''Literature/TheShipWho Won'', Plennafrey intends to give up her items of power to [[StayWithTheAliens leave Ozran with Keff]]. Carialle takes her aside and gives her a presentation about the dangers of space travel and the ways that Plenna's biology has [[HumanSubspecies diverged over the past thousand years]], which ends with Plennafrey bursting into tears, having been given the impression that her blood is too thin to allow her to be healthy in space. Therefore, as she understands how important Keff's work is to him, they can't be together. Keff, who does like Plenna but isn't in love with her, privately asks Carialle about this presentation. Carialle says she's been truthful - there's no guaranteeing anyone's safety in space. Luckily for Plenna, a [[LastMinuteHookup new suitor]] immediately proposes to her and she loses all carnal or romantic interest in Keff instantly.
118	* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'':
119	** The [[MagicalSociety Aes Sedai]] swear a magically binding vow "[[CannotTellALie speak no word that is not true]]", ostensibly to build trust. In practice, they're infamous as masters of tactical omissions, [[FalseReassurance tricky diction]], and every other form of deception. While the mostly-heroic Moiraine is in disguise, she tells people "You may call me Mistress Alys" -- they certainly may; it just isn't her real name.
120	--->'''Tam al'Thor:''' An Aes Sedai never lies, but the truth she speaks may not be the truth you think you hear.
121	** When Siuan is convicted of a minor crime, she swears a solemn oath to serve her sentence by working under Gareth Bryne. She flees town that night, rationalizing that she never said ''when'' she'd serve it, and will come back when she's dealt with more urgent business.
122	* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' book ''Mapleshade's Vengeance'', Mapleshade's kits were fathered by a cat from another Clan, but her own Clan assumes that the father was their recently deceased Clanmate Birchface, and Mapleshade doesn't correct them - for instance, when Frecklewish asks, assuming this is the case, and offers to help raise them due to believing them to be kin, Mapleshade says only "You have answered my prayers, Frecklewish. My kits and I are no longer alone." She justifies it to herself by thinking "I have not lied out loud" and that it'll help the Clan accept the kits, and that she'll tell the truth eventually.
123	* ''Literature/WhereAreTheChildren'': If anyone asks what brought Nancy to the small Cape Cod town she moved to six years ago, she tells them she moved there for a fresh start after her parents died. This is technically true; she just omits the part where she was married to a college professor and accused of murdering her children in California.
124	* In ''Literature/WorldOfTheFiveGods'', Dowager Royina Ista tells the story of [[spoiler:the death of Arvol dy Lutez]] four times across both ''The Curse of Challion'' and ''Paladin of Souls''. In all but the last, she conceals the underlying reason he died, that in the heat of the moment, [[spoiler:when she was going to call down a miracle of healing to resurrect dy Lutez for their threefold sacrifice scheme, she hated him and excluded the Mother from her heart, preventing the miracle.]]
125	%% Which novel? * In a novel by Creator/AlbertECowdrey, a megalomaniacal criminal wants revenge on the human race for his imprisonment. Before he's allowed out of prison, he's asked a few questions, and there's a machine that can tell whether he's telling the truth or not. When asked if he regrets his behavior, he says yes (meaning he regrets that his mistakes got him caught). When asked if he wants to harm anyone, or something like that, he says "I do not wish to harm any human individual."
126	* ''[[Literature/XWingSeries X-Wing: Solo Command]]'': Nawara Ven offers Dr. Edda Gast immunity from prosecution for war crimes in exchange for telling the New Republic how to test for and reverse her chemical {{brainwashing}} protocols. They give her a new identity and enough money to retire in comfort, but she insists on being paid in Imperial credits. Knowing that she's probably just going to offer her services to another Imperial Remnant warlord, [[JusticeByOtherLegalMeans Nawara deliberately doesn't warn her that trying to transit a New Republic port with that much enemy currency carries a life sentence for sedition]], and, still thinking her KarmaHoudini status is in effect, she's promptly arrested by a customs officer when she tries to catch a flight off Coruscant.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
130	* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Sweet figures out that the suspect in the Murder of the Week also probably committed the rape they uncovered in their investigation. Booth points out in the suspect's hearing that even if that's true, the FBI wouldn't be able to charge him with both crimes. The suspect thinks he sees a way out and confesses to the rape, and is promptly told he just confessed to murder. When the perp calls them out on lying, Booth explains that the reason they can't charge him with both is that the FBI only has jurisdiction on the murder; he omitted that the Washington, D.C. police have jurisdiction on the rape case.
131	%% Where's the omission? This is homophones and possibly ExactWords. * Adam and Jimmie of ''Series/TheManShow'' got dozens of women to sign a petition to end Women's Suffrage (the right to vote) by phrasing it to sound like they meant "suffering". Things like, "Women have been suffraging in this country for decades, and nobody's done anything to stop it!"
132	* On ''Series/PennAndTellerBullshit'', the duo use this trope to get environmental activists to sign a petition to ban water. They sent someone to a gathering of them to get names for a petition to abolish the use of "dihydrogen monoxide" -- which means water. They went around saying all kinds of technically true things about water (things like "it's a chemical solvent", which is true, and "over six thousand people are killed by this stuff in the US every year", which is also true) while making it sound like a toxin. They got lots of names. The point of the exercise was to demonstrate how many people would sign a petition without bothering to check any of the facts first.
133	* ''Series/QuincyME'': A kidnapper manages to get himself arrested by the police without the victim being recovered. Quincy figures out from the forensic evidence that the victim was stashed on the grounds of a national park, and the state prosecutor throws the case in exchange for the victim's exact location. The kidnapper is then arrested by the FBI while walking out of the courtroom, and the state prosecutor helpfully explains that because he kidnapped the victim in California but stashed them on federal land, the FBI also has jurisdiction in the case.
134	%% As-written, looks more like MetaphoricallyTrue. * A lot of the lies and half-truths that Scott and Stiles of ''Series/TeenWolf'' have been using to hide the werewolves would fall into this category. Stiles even gets caught in an ExplainExplainOhCrap moment by his father when the alibis start blending together.
135	%% -->'''Sheriff Stilinski:''' "So you lied to me?"
136	%% -->'''Stiles:''' "That depends on how you define lying."
137	%% -->'''Sheriff Stilinski:''' "Well, I define it as not telling the truth, how do you define it?"
138	%% -->'''Stiles:''' "Pff...reclining your body in a horizontal position."
139	* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode, "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E19TheFirstDuty The First Duty]]", Wesley Crusher and his squad are facing an inquiry about the death of one of their members. Seeing that Wesley is obviously feeling conflicted, the leader Locarno tells him that he doesn't have to lie, he can simply not volunteer the actual important information. Yes, the accident ''did'' occur after the loop. It's just that between the loop and the crash, they had deviated from the approved program and tried a test run of a [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique flashy, but very dangerous maneuver]] that had killed all five of the people who tried it the last time it was attempted, which was why Starfleet banned it. Captain Picard [[WhatTheHellHero is not satisfied]] with Wesley's claim that he told the truth, telling him that a lie of omission is still a lie, and gives him an ultimatum: [[IfYouWontIWill Tell Admiral Brand the whole truth about what happened or Picard will do it himself.]]
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
143	* ''Literature/TheBible'': In the Literature/BookOfGenesis, Joseph's brothers (unlike in [[Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat the musical adaptation]]) don't actually lie to their father Jacob that Joseph is dead. They just give him Joseph's coat, which they stained with goat's blood, and say "We found this," leaving him to draw the conclusion that Joseph was eaten by a wild animal. They leave out the fact that they found the coat still being worn by Joseph, and that they ripped it off him before throwing him into a pit and then selling him into slavery.
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Sports]]
147	* After the Covid crisis forced the cancellation of the 2020 minor league baseball season, several minor league teams printed t-shirts commemorating their "undefeated season".
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Theater]]
151	* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': During the final sequence of the play, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Mrs. Lovett knew all along that Lucy Barker, Sweeney's wife, was still alive. She told him that Lucy had poisoned herself after her rape by Judge Turpin, and despite Mrs. Lovett never outright stating it, anyone would have come to the conclusion that Lucy was dead. But what Mrs. Lovett never told Sweeney was that Lucy survived her poisoning and had to be committed to BedlamHouse, becoming the Beggar Woman; and the reason she never let him know was because she wanted Sweeney for herself. Because of this deception, Sweeney never found out that Lucy was still alive until he had already killed her himself prior to taking final vengeance on Judge Turpin]].
152	* In the climactic scene of ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'', Elphaba receives a letter about Fiyero. After reading it, she simply tells Glinda, "We've seen his face for the last time," making both Glinda and the audience think the letter contains the news of Fiyero's death. Actually, [[spoiler: the letter is ''from'' Fiyero, informing Elphaba that he's alive but urging her not to let anyone know. What Elphaba says about his face is [[ExactWords technically true]], but it's because Elphaba changed his face forever by turning him into the Scarecrow, which saved his life.]]
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Video Games]]
156	* ''VideoGame/BlueSkies2'': When Chancellor Rhetz [[spoiler:states that he has the Calbane clan hostage, Lyrelle assumes her parents must be among them. Chancellor Rhetz never directly mentions her parents in order to hide the fact that he already killed them for trying to escape, and only allows her to believe they're alive to motivate her to get the Holy Stone for him]].
157	* ''VideoGame/FableI'': In the NonViolentInitialConfrontation between [[BigBad Jack of Blades]] and the Hero, Jack says that the Hero's MissingMom now "lives in complete solitude, tormented by her failure to save her family", and that he longs to reunite them. He has her in a dungeon and wants the Hero there too.
158	* ''VideoGame/PrayerOfTheFaithless'': Aeyr is sent to an inadvertent SuicideMission because completing it will turn him human again, which he wants to be. But, what's left unsaid is that he'll die as a result, [[spoiler:due to how the environment he'd be in would be lethal to humans]].
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
162	* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
163	** Franchise-wide: Some witnesses will only reveal information when specifically asked about it. Miles Edgeworth would use this method for coaching witnesses during his days as the Demon Prosecutor.
164	** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'': In Godot's introduction, he claims to have never lost a case, making him appear legendary until he reveals he hasn't ''won'' any case either: It's his first time acting as a prosecutor.
165	** Phoenix gets by using a couple of these during the first case of ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''. Apollo calls him out for both of them after the trial.
166	*** When accused of stealing a locket that the victim had on, he points out that the locket ''he's'' wearing has a photo of his daughter inside, letting the court assume the locket belongs to him without actually saying it.
167	*** Later on, he claims to have taken the bloodstained ace from the crime scene and given it to his daughter to hold onto. This dupes the court into thinking the bloody ace was swapped out of the victim’s hand, when in actuality it was an ordinary playing card that Phoenix added the bloodstain to after the fact.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Webcomics]]
171	* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'':
172	** Sam [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff700/fv00625.htm makes his procedure for getting some contract work]] sound a lot more straightforward and honest than it actually was by carefully leaving out several important points: Max Post is a "Bible salesman" because he illegally smuggles them to the robots, they "exchanged the business cards in [their wallets]" by pickpocketing each other, and Max was "glad" to point Sam to the office where he got the contract because it was an effective way of getting Sam to shut up, to name a few.
173	** {{Invoked\|Trope}} when Clippy makes a highly illicit flight to a secret base as part of a criminal conspiracy. Being a Robot, he's a BadLiar and can just be [[IncapableOfDisobeying ordered to tell the truth]], so his hirelings [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2400/fc02390.htm ask him]] to hide in a closet -- if he's questioned, he can say that he was hiding there during the flight, omitting that it was ''his flight''.
174	--->'''Mr. Parka:''' Just because something is true doesn't mean it's not a lie.
175	* Doc Scratch of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' constantly does this; however, he also insists that he doesn't tell lies and that lies of omission aren't real, but merely a human construct by creatures who feel entitled to the full truth. Only he, as an omniscient being, can know the full truth at any given time, and when and how he chooses to dispense that information is entirely up to him. As such, while he does withhold critical information with statements that are MetaphoricallyTrue, it only makes him a scoundrel and a prankster, not a liar, and the fault lies with those who aren't asking the right questions.
176	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
177	** When the Order are [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0264.html accused]] of attempting a prison break, the LawfulGood[[invoked]] Durkon claims that the cell doors opened due to a "mechanical defect" and omits that the defect was that the locks could be picked by a rogue.
178	** In a case of NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead regarding the destruction of [[spoiler:Soon's Gate]], [[ThePaladin O-Chul]] admits that he made the decision and it was his blade that did the deed. [[spoiler:But he was magically paralyzed at the time; Miko destroyed the gate right before they were about to ''win'' the fight]].
179	** The arch-fiends who offer Vaarsuvius a [[PowersViaPossession Soul Splice]] make several true but deceptive statements while negotiating: that they each [[YourSoulIsMine get V's soul]] for the same amount of time as the Splice lasts (not necessarily after V's death, so they can yank V into Hell at a bad time), that the Splice could influence V's actions (if only by giving V a load of BlackMagic and cheering V on), and that "We simply don't need to trick you if we can get what we want by playing it straight" (if indeed).
180	** Malack, when explaining his god Nergal, gives a brief lecture about how [[DontFearTheReaper death gods and their clerics shouldn't be stereotyped as evil]]: good and evil people alike all have to die eventually, so the role is more Neutral. He leaves out any direct statement about Nergal or himself, since by all appearances Nergal is a GodOfEvil who exults in mass slaughter and Malack [[spoiler:is a vampire who's plotting an IndustrializedEvil regime in his name]].
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Western Animation]]
184	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': In "[[Recap/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBoldS2E6ClashOfTheMetalMen Clash Of The Metal Men]]", Gas Gang wanted to make a gas that can cause volcanic eruptions to sell to despots and dictators but told their partner [[AdaptationalHeroism Doc Magnus]], the creator of titular Metal Men, they're doing it to make the world better. They just omitted who it's good for (themselves).
185	* ''WesternAnimation/NormanNormal1999'': In "Trading Places", [[MeaningfulName Morpheus]], a boy with a power of VoluntaryShapeshifting, tells the titular protagonist that he wants to make the world better. Later he reveals that he's a supervillain and wants to [[DePower depower]] the protagonist's family. When Norman calls him out on his lying, Morpheus said he was telling the truth and he meant what was he saying: he wants to make the world better. He omitted why it would be better, and for who: the world without superheroes is an ideal world for the petty supervillain like himself.
186	* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': While discussing potential new recruits for the Justice League, the current members start debating whether or not [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] should be allowed to remain a member since [[OlderAlterEgo in truth he's ten years old]]. Wonder Woman in particular argues that the issue is not just that he is a minor, but that he lied about it to the team. When Captain Marvel retorts that he didn't really lie but simply left it out, Wonder Woman replies with "a lie of omission is still a lie".
187	[[/folder]]

Context Main / LyingByOmission