honest
Americanadjective
-
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
-
showing uprightness and fairness; not deceitful.
Honest dealings remain central to the corporation's core values.
- Synonyms:
- upright
-
gained or obtained fairly.
honest wealth.
-
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
-
genuine or unadulterated.
honest commodities.
- Synonyms:
- unadulterated, pure, true, sure-enough, real, genuine, echt, bona fide, authentic, actual
-
respectable; having a good reputation.
an honest name.
- Antonyms:
- disreputable
-
reliable in accuracy or truth; true; just.
honest weights.
- Antonyms:
- unreliable
-
humble, plain, or unadorned.
-
Archaic. chaste; virtuous.
adjective
-
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
-
a mediator in disputes, esp international ones
-
slang:school (interjection) genuinely, really
-
-
(adjective) completely authentic
-
(interjection) an expression of affirmation or surprise
-
-
to marry (a woman, esp one who is pregnant) to prevent scandal
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
The adjective honest is perfect for describing someone who tells the truth. If you're always honest, it means you're truthful and sincere no matter what. Honest comes from the Latin word honestus, which means "honorable or respected," and around 1300, honest was popularly used to mean "respectable and of neat appearance." We don't use it these days to describe the way someone dresses, but instead how truthful they are, and sometimes to emphasize how simple and straightforward something is, like "good, honest home-cooked food."
Vocabulary lists containing honest
Positive Words to Describe a Person
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The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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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.
Well, to be honest, it can be too late!
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
"If we're honest with ourselves, we've all been somewhat overwhelmed by this. And that's true for everyone, including adults," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
If a company tells the world its total addressable market is $30 trillion, it might not have to bring in $30 trillion to look like an honest broker.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
"To be honest, since Saturday we have lost hope," said Upadhyay.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
“As you can tell, I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
