honest
[on-ist]
- 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.
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Origin of honest
1250–1300; Middle English honeste < Middle French < Latin honestus honorable, equivalent to hones- (variant stem of honōs) honor + -tus adj. suffix
Synonyms
See more synonyms for honest on Thesaurus.com1. just, incorruptible, trusty, trustworthy. 2. fair. 4. straightforward, candid. 5, 9. pure.
Antonyms
1. dishonest, corrupt.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for honest
Contemporary Examples
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.
The Good Wife’s Religion Politics: Voters Have No Faith in Alicia's AtheismRegina Lizik
November 24, 2014
She turned to me as someone to keep her honest after she first dropped her sorority.
Historical Examples
This here fellow, now, couldn't make an honest livin' like that, I bet you.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
He's too honest entirely to stale the value of a pin, let alone a carpetbag.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
The man may be honest, captain: Don't trouble yourself too much.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
I never was so honest for so long together since my matriculation.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
Never had the pinto dodged his share of honest running, and this day was no exception.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
honest
- not given to lying, cheating, stealing, etc; trustworthy
- not false or misleading; genuine
- just or fairhonest wages
- characterized by sincerity and candouran honest appraisal
- without pretensions or artificial traitshonest 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
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Word Origin
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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
honest
In addition to the idioms beginning with honest
- honest to God
also see:
- come by (honestly)
- open (honest) and aboveboard
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.