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.

Peer review was never meant to be perfect—just good enough to keep us honest.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

Elliot: I used to be an attacker, to be honest.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

And with “The Devil Wears Prada 2” — a brutally honest, important film that uses its blockbuster status to convey the timelessness of journalism, cinema and human creativity — they will.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

Ask Johnson why he pivoted to be an unofficial ambassador for horse racing, and he’ll be frank: “To be honest, there’s a lot of billionaires.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

“I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m surprised you’re following through. I thought for sure you wouldn’t get the money together.”

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

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