Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for honest on Thesaurus.com honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; upright and fair: an honest person. showing uprightness and fairness: honest dealings. gained or obtained fairly: honest wealth. sincere; frank: an honest face. genuine or unadulterated: honest commodities. respectable; having a good reputation: an honest name. truthful or creditable: honest weights. humble, plain, or unadorned. Archaic chaste; virtuous. Show More
Origin of honest 1250–1300; Middle English honeste <
Middle French <
Latin honestus honorable, equivalent to
hones- (variant stem of
honōs )
honor +
-tus adj. suffix
Related forms hon·est·ness , noun o·ver·hon·est , adjective o·ver·hon·est·ly , adverb o·ver·hon·est·ness , noun qua·si-hon·est , adjective qua·si-hon·est·ly , adverb Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for honest virtuous ,
genuine ,
straightforward ,
fair ,
impartial ,
decent ,
sincere ,
trustworthy ,
authentic ,
equitable ,
conscientious ,
proper ,
honorable ,
reliable ,
forthright ,
true ,
direct ,
ethical ,
frank ,
high-minded Examples from the Web for honest Contemporary Examples of honest To be honest , I think a lot of good essay writing comes out of that.
So I’m sitting with my daughter and all of her friends—who are 13—and she says ‘Dad, can I be honest with you?
That desperate, honest , human voice, a voice willing to see change, or die, but in any event never to back up again.
He is honest about his religious doubts, but he is committed to learning more about God.
She turned to me as someone to keep her honest after she first dropped her sorority.
Historical Examples of honest This here fellow, now, couldn't make an honest livin' like that, I bet you.
He's too honest entirely to stale the value of a pin, let alone a carpetbag.
The man may be honest , captain: Don't trouble yourself too much.
I never was so honest for so long together since my matriculation.
Never had the pinto dodged his share of honest running, and this day was no exception.
British Dictionary definitions for honest not given to lying, cheating, stealing, etc; trustworthy not false or misleading; genuine just or fair honest wages characterized by sincerity and candour an honest appraisal without pretensions or artificial traits honest farmers archaic (of a woman) respectable honest broker a mediator in disputes, esp international ones honest Injun (interjection) school slang genuinely, really honest to God or honest to goodness (adjective) completely authentic (interjection) an expression of affirmation or surprise make an honest woman of to marry (a woman, esp one who is pregnant) to prevent scandal Show More
Derived Forms honestness , noun Word Origin for honest C13: from Old French honeste, from Latin honestus distinguished, from honōs honour
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for honest adj. c.1300, "respectable, decent, of neat appearance," also "free from fraud," from Old French honeste (12c.; Modern French honnête ), from Latin honestus "honorable, respected, regarded with honor," figuratively "deserving honor, honorable, respectable," from honos (see honor (n.)). Main modern sense of "dealing fairly, truthful" is c.1400, as is sense of "virtuous." Phrase to make an honest woman of "marry a woman after seduction" is from 1620s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with honest In addition to the idioms beginning with honest
also see:
come by (honestly) open (honest) and aboveboard Show More
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
