honesty
Americannoun
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the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.
- Antonyms:
- dishonesty
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truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
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freedom from deceit or fraud.
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Botany. a plant, Lunaria annua, of the mustard family, having clusters of purple flowers and semitransparent, satiny pods.
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Obsolete. chastity.
noun
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the condition of being honest
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sincerity or fairness
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archaic virtue or respect
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Also called: moonwort. satinpod. a purple-flowered SE European plant, Lunaria annua, cultivated for its flattened silvery pods, which are used for indoor decoration: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
Related Words
See honor.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of honesty
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English honeste, from Middle French, from Latin honestās; see honest, -ty 2
Explanation
If you tell the truth, you possess the quality of honesty. If someone offers a harsh criticism of your latest attempt at songwriting, you might say, "Thank you for your honesty." Even if you don't mean it. The original meaning of honesty had more to do with honor than truthfulness, although the two are naturally linked. The trait of honesty has been prized for centuries, and Shakespeare once wrote, "Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself." The honesty flower, sometimes called the money plant, is so named because its coin-shaped seedpods are translucent, the idea of transparency symbolizing integrity.
Vocabulary lists containing honesty
Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 5)
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"Glencoe Accounting: Real-World Applications & Connections," Vocabulary from Chapter 29
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Gather Vocabulary Knowledge, Unit 5
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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.
Honesty improves predictive power because a system that rebuilds itself needs to see itself clearly to improve itself.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
Honesty about the uncertainty became a guiding principle.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
Honesty may be what this struggling England white-ball team needs but Brook must be wary of the scrutiny that comes with leadership.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2025
As the recent director of The Honesty Project and author of “Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue,” I am especially interested in whether most people tend to be honest or not.
From Scientific American • Oct. 31, 2023
Honesty forced her to admit that the move had made her more discontented, not less.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
