honest

[on-ist]

adjective

1. 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

2. showing uprightness and fairness; not deceitful.

   Honest dealings remain central to the corporation's core values.

   Synonyms: upright

3. gained or obtained fairly.

   honest wealth.

4. sincere; frank; candid.

   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

5. genuine or unadulterated.

   honest commodities.

   Synonyms: unadulterated, pure, true, sure-enough, real, genuine, echt, bona fide, authentic, actual
   Antonyms: sham, pseudo, phony, mock, fake, bogus

6. respectable; having a good reputation.

   an honest name.

   Synonyms: reputable, estimable
   Antonyms: disreputable

7. reliable in accuracy or truth; true; just.

   honest weights.

   Synonyms: reliable, precise, faithful, exact, accurate, trusty
   Antonyms: unreliable

8. humble, plain, or unadorned.

9. Archaic.,  chaste; virtuous.

honest

/ ˈɒnɪst /

adjective

1. not given to lying, cheating, stealing, etc; trustworthy

2. not false or misleading; genuine

3. just or fair

   honest wages

4. characterized by sincerity and candour

   an honest appraisal

5. without pretensions or artificial traits

   honest farmers

6. archaic,  (of a woman) respectable

7. a mediator in disputes, esp international ones

8. slang:school,  (interjection) genuinely, really

9. 1. (adjective) completely authentic

   2. (interjection) an expression of affirmation or surprise

10. to marry (a woman, esp one who is pregnant) to prevent scandal

Other Word Forms

• honestness noun
• overhonest adjective
• overhonestly adverb
• overhonestness noun
• quasi-honest adjective
• quasi-honestly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of honest¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of honest¹

C13: from Old French honeste, from Latin honestus distinguished, from honōs _honour

Idioms and Phrases

• come by (honestly)
• open (honest) and aboveboard

Example Sentences

Banowsky’s documentary arrives at a pivotal moment in the fight to preserve honest journalism.

From Salon

Establishing the run is mandatory to keeping Kansas City’s defense honest.

From Los Angeles Times

I have never seen it as a job, I'll be honest, but what it means to me now has changed.

From BBC

This is also leading with the argument, valid and honest, for the series’ strongest point.

From Salon

“If I’m being honest, the last couple of days, it’s been difficult,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• authentic 
• conscientious 
• decent 
• equitable 
• fair 
• forthright 
• genuine 
• honorable 
• impartial 
• proper 
• reliable 
• sincere 
• straightforward 
• true 
• trustworthy 
• virtuous