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.

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

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

“We need more voices — feminist perspectives, stories from marginalized communities, an honest reckoning with colorism and the hierarchies embedded in South Asian culture,” Singh said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

“I’m going to be honest: Clearing your cache and going incognito to ‘beat’ flight pricing is largely a myth,” said Katie Lynn Reynolds, a travel agent at Travelmation.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

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

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

To be honest, the way Colin describes it, it does sound a bit ridiculous.

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

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