honest

[on-ist]

adjective

1. truthful; ethical; fair; not lying or cheating.

   She's an honest person.

   Synonyms: just, honorable, fair, scrupulous, principled, moral, incorruptible, good, ethical, conscientious, veracious, truthful, trustworthy
   Antonyms: unconscionable, immoral, dishonest, corrupt, untruthful, mendacious, lying, dishonorable, unscrupulous, unprincipled, unethical

2. showing uprightness and fairness; not deceitful.

   Honest dealings remain central to the corporation's core values.

   Synonyms: upright

3. gained or obtained fairly.

   honest wealth.

4. sincere; frank; candid.

   He has an honest face.

   Give me your honest opinion.

   Synonyms: unaffected, sincere, simple, natural, ingenuous, guileless, genuine, artless, up-front, unreserved, unguarded, straightforward, straight, plain-spoken, plain, outspoken, out-front, open-hearted, open, free-hearted, free-spoken, frank, foursquare, forthright, forthcoming, direct, candid, aboveboard
   Antonyms: phony, insincere, guileful, disingenuous, artificial, artful, affected

5. genuine or unadulterated.

   honest commodities.

   Synonyms: unadulterated, pure, true, sure-enough, real, genuine, echt, bona fide, authentic, actual
   Antonyms: sham, pseudo, phony, mock, fake, bogus

6. respectable; having a good reputation.

   an honest name.

   Synonyms: reputable, estimable
   Antonyms: disreputable

7. reliable in accuracy or truth; true; just.

   honest weights.

   Synonyms: reliable, precise, faithful, exact, accurate, trusty
   Antonyms: unreliable

8. humble, plain, or unadorned.

9. Archaic.,  chaste; virtuous.

honest

/ ˈɒnɪst /

adjective

1. not given to lying, cheating, stealing, etc; trustworthy

2. not false or misleading; genuine

3. just or fair

   honest wages

4. characterized by sincerity and candour

   an honest appraisal

5. without pretensions or artificial traits

   honest farmers

6. archaic,  (of a woman) respectable

7. a mediator in disputes, esp international ones

8. slang:school,  (interjection) genuinely, really

9. 1. (adjective) completely authentic

   2. (interjection) an expression of affirmation or surprise

10. to marry (a woman, esp one who is pregnant) to prevent scandal

Other Word Forms

• honestness noun
• overhonest adjective
• overhonestly adverb
• overhonestness noun
• quasi-honest adjective
• quasi-honestly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of honest¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English honeste, from Middle French, from Latin honestus “honorable,” equivalent to hones- (variant stem of honōs ) honor + -tus adjective suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of honest¹

C13: from Old French honeste, from Latin honestus distinguished, from honōs _honour

Idioms and Phrases

• come by (honestly)
• open (honest) and aboveboard

Example Sentences

Ridicule and moral superiority can too easily close the door to honest dialogue, while empathy and understanding, difficult as they may be, open the path to genuine transformation.

Read more on Salon

“The honest answer with everyone that I talk to is no one was expecting this,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"To be honest, I actually feel validated and relieved that no child is now having to be in that mobile classroom," she told BBC News NI.

Read more on BBC

Regional automotive dealers and fleet operators, for example, inform our curriculum, donate equipment, offer paid internships and give us honest feedback about their new employees: our graduates.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Philip, who is earnest and honest to a fault, chafes at the lie but soon realizes that he’s helping someone to live their authentic life, so he throws himself into it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• authentic 
• conscientious 
• decent 
• equitable 
• fair 
• forthright 
• genuine 
• honorable 
• impartial 
• proper 
• reliable 
• sincere 
• straightforward 
• true 
• trustworthy 
• virtuous