honesty

American  

[on-uh-stee] / ˈɒn ə sti /

noun

• honesties
  plural

1. the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.

   Synonyms:

   rectitude, probity, integrity

   Antonyms:

   dishonesty

2. truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.

   Synonyms:

   veracity, candor

3. freedom from deceit or fraud.

4. Botany. a plant, Lunaria annua, of the mustard family, having clusters of purple flowers and semitransparent, satiny pods.

5. Obsolete. chastity.

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honesty British  

/ ˈɒnɪstɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being honest

2. sincerity or fairness

3. archaic virtue or respect

4. Also called: moonwort.   satinpod.  a purple-flowered SE European plant, Lunaria annua, cultivated for its flattened silvery pods, which are used for indoor decoration: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

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Synonym Usage

See honor.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overhonesty
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• honesties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of honesty

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English honeste, from Middle French, from Latin honestās; see honest, -ty ²

Explanation

If you tell the truth, you possess the quality of honesty. If someone offers a harsh criticism of your latest attempt at songwriting, you might say, "Thank you for your honesty." Even if you don't mean it. The original meaning of honesty had more to do with honor than truthfulness, although the two are naturally linked. The trait of honesty has been prized for centuries, and Shakespeare once wrote, "Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself." The honesty flower, sometimes called the money plant, is so named because its coin-shaped seedpods are translucent, the idea of transparency symbolizing integrity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

honesty honesties

Heisenberg: I could have picked pretty much any Hull player as one to avoid, because in all honesty we should be avoiding most of their squad.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

“Tony” doesn’t so much depict the first steps of a march to greatness as prove the importance of discipline and honesty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

"I don't know, in all honesty," said McAllister, when asked if Infantino will keep his job.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

“All the parties have a vested interest in honesty, and in a good user experience.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

Young children learned about George Washington’s honesty in a fictitious story of a cherry tree.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

The honesties and fun that went into it seem childlike enough after 30 years of rough and sobering history.

From Time Magazine Archive

A sort of documentary of Bumper's last three days before retirement, the book tends to be a bit ostentatious in such honesties, as if they established Bumper's credibility.

From Time Magazine Archive

“What do you mean?” he asked her, and she heard a looming disagreement in his voice; he, too, believed in unbending, unambiguous honesties.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

You are dealing with primal sanities, primal honesties, primal attraction; you are touching at least the hem of the garment with which the infinite is clothed, and virtue goes out from it to you.

From Time and Change by John Burroughs

There are such poles of opposition between honesties and loyalties.

From The Lost Girl by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

Related Words

• candor
• confidence
• fairness
• faithfulness
• frankness
• honor
• integrity
• loyalty
• morality
• probity
• rectitude
• responsibility
• self-respect
• sincerity
• trustworthiness
• veracity
• virtue