integrity
Americannoun
-
integrities
plural
-
adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
- Antonyms:
- dishonesty
-
the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
to preserve the integrity of the empire.
-
a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.
the integrity of a ship's hull.
noun
-
adherence to moral principles; honesty
-
the quality of being unimpaired; soundness
-
unity; wholeness
Synonym Usage
See honor.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of integrity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English integrite, from Latin integritās; see integer, -ity
Explanation
Integrity is a personal quality of fairness that we all aspire to — unless you're a dishonest, immoral scoundrel, of course. Having integrity means doing the right thing in a reliable way. It's a personality trait that we admire, since it means a person has a moral compass that doesn't waver. It literally means having "wholeness" of character, just as an integer is a "whole number" with no fractions. Physical objects can display integrity, too — if you're going over a rickety old bridge that sways in the wind, you might question its structural integrity.
Vocabulary lists containing integrity
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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This Week in Words: August 25 - 31, 2018
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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.
See Examples For:
On Holding reported higher net income and sales in the third quarter, as the running shoe maker continued to protect full-price integrity in a promotional marketplace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
"Dear fathers and grandfathers... treat your wives with respect, ask for forgiveness and live with integrity, even when doing so requires sacrifice," the head of the Catholic Church said during a homily in Uruguay.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
“You are choosing personal ambition over professional integrity and subservience over leadership.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
A critical part of a scientific paper's integrity involves lead scientists listing earlier research in order to show what they have done is genuinely new.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
The warmth and dignity of my flannel skirt and woolly sweater are worth far more to me now than patriotism or integrity.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
“There is no information to hide; there are institutional integrities to preserve,” they wrote.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 17, 2019
Conscious of their several responsibilities, and in the light of their various integrities, they wrote carefully and in low key.
From Time Magazine Archive
And forthright includes those intellectual and moral integrities which are essential to the maintenance of our republic.
From Time Magazine Archive
All the lower virtues and integrities spring from its desires.
From A Man's Value to Society Studies in Self Culture and Character by Newell Dwight Hillis
Deep down, he divined, were the integrities and the stabilities.
From Burning Daylight by Jack London
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
