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.

His entry was raw and honest and he won.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026

There'll be days where I wake up and you have that feeling, but I'm just a nice, honest player.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

When asked for advice on navigating L.A.’s dating scene, several of the storytellers had similar insight: Be honest about what you want, work on finding yourself first and do things around the city.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

“To be honest, everyone was pretty chill,” Berman said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“To be honest, I’m worried about you. You look exhausted, Jakob. And much too thin. How long have you been here?”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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