honesty
Americannoun
-
honesties
plural
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the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.
- Antonyms:
- dishonesty
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truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
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freedom from deceit or fraud.
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Botany. a plant, Lunaria annua, of the mustard family, having clusters of purple flowers and semitransparent, satiny pods.
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Obsolete. chastity.
noun
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the condition of being honest
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sincerity or fairness
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archaic virtue or respect
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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)
Synonym Usage
See honor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing honesty
Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 5)
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"Glencoe Accounting: Real-World Applications & Connections," Vocabulary from Chapter 29
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Gather Vocabulary Knowledge, Unit 5
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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.
See Examples For:
Political Gabfest host Emily Bazelon praised the essay’s unflinching candor in exploring her relationship, noting that “it’s the honesty that makes me cry.”
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
Shannon McManus, a resident of another rural Louisiana parish with a data center in the works, told NPR that he’s all for progress, but just asks for honesty from tech giants.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
The honesty of the acting is so enlivening that I’m tempted to rank this production among the very best Wilson revivals I’ve seen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
They trounced Rangers on all of the things that require no talent, just honesty.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
In all honesty, though, Gregory was a fine candidate, and the appointment seems to have been made largely on merit, not just because of Halley’s unconventional religious views.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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
But blameworthy surely I am, thus generally to speake: for some I know, although not many, for whose poore honesties I dare aduenture mine owne.
From The Palace of Pleasure Volume 3 by William Painter
He had the air of one who is insistent on the little honesties of life.
From None Other Gods by Robert Hugh Benson
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.
