Your English: Collocations: fact

Some facts are impossible to argue with, in which case they may be hard, incontrovertible, indisputable, inescapable, irrefutable or undeniable, as in ‘That the massacre occurred is an undeniable fact and no-one is disputing it’. There are also facts that people may not like and these are plain or simple, as in ‘It is a plain fact that most men will lose their hair as they grow older’.

Facts may be well-known or little-known, as in ‘It is a little-known fact that he was a successful footballer when he was younger’. They may be important or key, as in ‘The key facts of the case are as follows …’. Interesting or surprising facts can be amazing, astonishing, fascinating, remarkable, shocking or striking, as in ‘The article reveals some startling facts about his early career’. Facts can also be alarming, disturbing or worrying, as in ‘It is a disturbing fact that the UK is top of the list for asthma sufferers’.

Apart from stating a fact, you can also ignore or overlook it. You may also conceal, hide or obscure it, as in ‘It was difficult to hide the fact that he had been drinking heavily before the incident’.

If you disagree with something, you might deny or dispute a fact, as in ‘It would be difficult to dispute the fact that we live in an increasingly stressful world’. On the other hand, you might want to accept, acknowledge or recognize a fact, as in ‘We need to acknowledge the fact that the alternative scheme would involve a significant amount of extra funding’.