honest

American  

[on-ist] / ˈɒn ɪst /

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.

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honest British  

/ 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

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honest Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing honest

• come by (honestly)
• open (honest) and aboveboard

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Other Word Forms

• honestness noun
• overhonest adjective
• overhonestly adverb
• overhonestness noun
• quasi-honest adjective
• quasi-honestly adverb

Etymology

Origin of honest

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

Example Sentences

In court, he said he had always run an honest business and did not intend to defraud his customers.

From BBC

There are both financial and emotional considerations, and, to be honest, the latter might be more important than the former.

From MarketWatch

“I’m blessed to have a career, but it’s an unpredictable road. Sticking to the work has kept me focused, kept me honest.”

From Los Angeles Times

“At first, to be honest with you, it was purely a money thing,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

As you reset for a new year of cooking, take a slow, honest inventory.

From Salon

Related Words

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