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.

The product they built — Claude, where values are made explicit, debatable and revisable — is a direct expression of a team that decided honest disagreement was non-negotiable.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

Their divergent expectations weren’t evidence of political bias, according to this narrative, but of honest intellectual disagreements about economic strategy.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

“Denis knows what I want. I’ve always been very honest with him,” the coach said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

"We're being up front and honest and transparent from the start," she tells the BBC.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

Who, to be honest, was suddenly curious about the answer, too.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Vocabulary lists containing honest

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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV

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