honest-to-goodness
Americanadjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of honest-to-goodness
First recorded in 1915–20
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.
It sells a slim control bar that magnetically snaps to the bottom of the screen, giving you honest-to-goodness physical buttons for music and climate control.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
Her last opponent, Bill himself, pitches a private beach sword fight at sunrise “like a couple real-life honest-to-goodness samurais.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
Released in 1976, chart-topping follow-ups in "Wings at the Speed of Sound" and "Wings Over America" underscored the band’s status as an honest-to-goodness juggernaut.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2025
Yet “Problemista,” which Torres wrote, directed and stars in, reveals a new willingness to tell a relatable story with a riveting sketch of an honest-to-goodness person.
From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024
I’d never thought to ask about the actual passage of time when you were on a real honest-to-goodness Glitch.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions 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.
