dishonest
Americanadjective
-
not honest; disposed to lie, cheat, or steal; not worthy of trust or belief.
a dishonest person.
- Synonyms:
- perfidious , deceitful , knavish , unscrupulous
- Antonyms:
- honest
-
proceeding from or exhibiting lack of honesty; fraudulent.
a dishonest advertisement.
- Synonyms:
- false
- Antonyms:
- honest
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Usage
What does dishonest mean? Dishonest is the opposite of honest—it’s used to describe someone or something as intentionally deceptive or not fully truthful in some way.When dishonest is used to describe a person, it usually means they are frequently or habitually untruthful—that they tend to lie often or that they often hide or leave out part of the truth.When dishonest is used to describe a thing, it usually implies that the thing is intentionally deceptive—that it’s intended to deceive people or mislead them through lies, the omission of all or parts of the truth, or the twisting of the truth.Just as the noun form of honest is honesty, the noun form of dishonest is dishonesty.Example: The article exposes the company’s dishonest business practices and the dishonest executives who promote them.
Related Words
See corrupt.
Other Word Forms
- dishonestly adverb
Etymology
Origin of dishonest
1350–1400; Middle English dishoneste < Anglo-French, Old French deshoneste, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + honeste honest
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But while this statement was dishonest, it does reveal a deeper truth about what the Vances, or at least the vice president himself.
From Salon
A Jewish former classmate of Nigel Farage has told the BBC the Reform UK leader is being "fundamentally dishonest" by suggesting former pupils who say they witnessed his racism are not telling the truth.
From BBC
Schulz, who went through the IVF process with his wife, seemed genuinely flabbergasted the notoriously dishonest president had lied about this.
From Salon
Some of the most dishonest operators in the media are at the center of the infighting within the American right.
From Salon
"I just want people to be accountable, and I don't want them getting away with being deceitful and dishonest," he adds.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
