definitions

honesty

[ on-uh-stee ]
/ ˈɒn ə sti /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR honesty ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural hon·es·ties.

the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.
truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
freedom from deceit or fraud.
Botany. a plant, Lunaria annua, of the mustard family, having clusters of purple flowers and semitransparent, satiny pods.
Obsolete. chastity.

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RELATED WORDS

confidence, candor, veracity, virtue, probity, frankness, loyalty, honor, self-respect, responsibility, sincerity, fairness, faithfulness, integrity, rectitude, morality, trustworthiness, soundness, openness, right

Nearby words

honest injun, honest john, honest to god, honest-to-goodness, honestly, honesty, honesty box, honesty is the best policy, honewort, honey, honey ant

Origin of honesty

1300–50; Middle English honeste < Middle French < Latin honestās. See honest, -ty2
SYNONYMS FOR honesty
1 integrity, probity, rectitude. See honor.
2 candor, veracity.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR honesty ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formso·ver·hon·es·ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for honesty

British Dictionary definitions for honesty

honesty

/ (ˈɒnɪstɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the condition of being honest
sincerity or fairness
archaic virtue or respect
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)
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 honesty

honesty

n.

early 14c., "splendor, honor; elegance," later "honorable position; propriety of behavior, good manners; virginity, chastity" (late 14c.), from Old French honesté (Modern French honnêteté), from Latin honestatem (nominative honestas) "honor received from others; reputation, character;" figuratively "uprightness, probity, integrity, virtue," from honestus (see honest). Meaning "moral purity, uprightness, virtue, justness" is from c.1400; in English, the word originally had more to do with honor than honest.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper