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

I regretted being honest, because in the moment, it felt as though honesty had desecrated the connection Allen and I were building.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"I have always been in the camp that you stick with the manager... I'm angry with the players, if I'm totally honest," Carragher said on CBS Sports.

Read more on BBC

"The vast majority of people who arrived in Sweden are honest and law-abiding individuals, but there are also those who have committed offences."

Read more on Barron's

I regret the difficulties this may have created for honest folk working at the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Let’s be honest, the turkey is the worst part of Thanksgiving anyway.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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