honest

[on-ist] / ˈɒn ɪst /

ADJECTIVE

truthful, candid

Synonyms

STRONGEST

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

WEAK

aboveboard bona fide direct ethical fair and square frank high-minded ingenuous just law-abiding lay it on the line like it is no lie on the level on the up and up open outright plain real reputable scrupulous straight true blue trusty undisguised unfeigned upfront upright veracious what you see is what you get

Antonyms

STRONGEST

biased corrupt counterfeit deceitful deceptive devious dishonest false insincere irresponsible partial prejudiced unfair unjust unreal unreasonable unreliable unsuitable untrustworthy

WEAK

fraudulent lying misleading treacherous untruthful

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.

Surely we can point to numerous reasons but one of the more common denominators of our great heritage, for generation upon generation, was our appreciation for “the value of honest labor.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

"If I'm being completely honest, I'd say I watch four hours a day."

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

“I was always advocating for what’s going to be the most honest and the most entertaining,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

One had to be honest: Florida juice was “just not at the quality it used to be.”

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

We hang out late watching some movie from when Mom and Dad were younger that they swear is “so great,” but was a little slow, to be honest.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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