honest
showing uprightness and fairness; not deceitful: Honest dealings remain central to the corporation's core values.
gained or obtained fairly: honest wealth.
genuine or unadulterated: honest commodities.
respectable; having a good reputation: an honest name.
humble, plain, or unadorned.
Archaic. chaste; virtuous.
Origin of honest
1Other words for honest
1 | trustworthy, truthful, veracious; conscientious, ethical, good, incorruptible, moral, principled, scrupulous; fair, honorable, just |
2 | upright |
4 | aboveboard, candid, direct, forthcoming, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, free-hearted, open, open-hearted, out-front, outspoken, plain, plain-spoken, straight, straightforward, unguarded, unreserved, up-front; artless, genuine, guileless, ingenuous, natural, simple, sincere, unaffected |
5 | actual, authentic, bona fide, echt, genuine, real, sure-enough, true; pure, unadulterated |
6 | esteemed, estimable, reputable, respected, of good repute, well-reputed |
7 | reliable, trusty; accurate, exact, faithful, precise |
Opposites for honest
1 | lying, mendacious, untruthful; corrupt, dishonest, immoral, unconscionable, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous; dishonorable |
4 | dissembling, uncandid, unforthcoming; affected, artful, artificial, disingenuous, guileful, insincere, phony |
5 | bogus, fake, mock, phony, pseudo, sham, unauthentic |
6 | disreputable |
7 | unreliable |
Other words from honest
- hon·est·ness, noun
- o·ver·hon·est, adjective
- o·ver·hon·est·ly, adverb
- o·ver·hon·est·ness, noun
- qua·si-hon·est, adjective
- qua·si-hon·est·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for honest
/ (ˈɒnɪst) /
not given to lying, cheating, stealing, etc; trustworthy
not false or misleading; genuine
just or fair: honest wages
characterized by sincerity and candour: an honest appraisal
without pretensions or artificial traits: honest farmers
archaic (of a woman) respectable
honest broker a mediator in disputes, esp international ones
honest Injun (interjection) school slang genuinely, really
honest to God or honest to goodness
(adjective) completely authentic
(interjection) an expression of affirmation or surprise
make an honest woman of to marry (a woman, esp one who is pregnant) to prevent scandal
Origin of honest
1Derived forms of honest
- honestness, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with honest
In addition to the idioms beginning with honest
- honest to God
also see:
- come by (honestly)
- open (honest) and aboveboard
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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