dishonest

[dis-on-ist]

adjective

1. not honest; disposed to lie, cheat, or steal; not worthy of trust or belief.

   a dishonest person.

   Synonyms: perfidious, deceitful, knavish, unscrupulous
   Antonyms: honest

2. proceeding from or exhibiting lack of honesty; fraudulent.

   a dishonest advertisement.

   Synonyms: false
   Antonyms: honest

dishonest

/ dɪsˈɒnɪst /

adjective

1. not honest or fair; deceiving or fraudulent

Other Word Forms

• dishonestly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of dishonest¹

1350–1400; Middle English dishoneste < Anglo-French, Old French deshoneste, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + honeste honest

Synonym Study

See corrupt.

Example Sentences

“It is appalling that dishonest lawyers and individuals would exploit reforms that were meant to deliver justice to survivors of abuse.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service concluded she was dishonest and her behaviour would be regarded as "deplorable" by fellow practitioners and her actions amounted to misconduct.

From BBC

The headlines were dishonest in another way, though, promising potential viewers that the girl was “wrecked” by Kirk in this “debate.”

From Salon

The court was told a review by the Crown Prosecution Service found there was no realistic prospect of conviction, because it could not be proved the defendant had been dishonest when he took the flowers.

From BBC

The president, unfiltered, attacked the network and its employees as “Real scum, real scum — real dishonest people.”

From Salon

Related Words

• corrupt 
• crooked 
• deceitful 
• deceptive 
• false 
• fraudulent 
• misleading 
• shady 
• sneaky 
• underhanded 
• unfair 
• unprincipled 
• unscrupulous 
• untrustworthy 

When To Use

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.