adverb
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in an honest manner
-
(intensifier)
I honestly don't believe it
interjection
Etymology
Origin of honestly
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English honestli(che) “honorably, respectably; respectfully; fittingly, properly”; see origin at honest, -ly
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.
“I honestly don’t know how she can sleep in that place alone.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
“This news honestly made my year,” texted Anaheim City Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava, who graduated a year ahead of me from Anaheim High and whose daughter works at my wife’s restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
An executor has a fiduciary responsibility to transparently and honestly deal with all aspects of the deceased’s estate, including paying creditors and taxes and distributing assets to heirs.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Keith Urban, who collaborated with Parton, was "heartbroken" by the news, and said that "honestly... I have no words right now".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Finding her all blissed out and unaware can honestly be pretty irritating— although it’s better than finding her freaking out or crying or hurt or something.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
