honesty
Americannoun
plural
honesties-
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
-
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)
Related Words
See honor.
Other Word Forms
- overhonesty noun
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.
In 2021 comes the diagnosis of MS, which opens her to a memoirist’s radical honesty.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
And in all honesty, if I was a four-time world champion, I'd probably be doing the same.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Give the candid Dimon high marks for honesty on the stock price—something rare among CEOs.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
But the price of that honesty has always been steep.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
And I feel an obligation to them, to repay the trust they put in me by making sure I get their stories down right, with honesty and compassion.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
