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.

And, to be honest, I didn’t think they would be that hard to avoid as I got older.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

I’ll be honest and say that “E.T.” is a movie I have always struggled with.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

Nathan Freeman, landlord of a sports bar in Bristol, said: "Everything going into the pint has gone up, to be honest with you."

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

“Most of the interest is emotional, which is the honest truth,” said Jeff Judge, a financial planner in Forest Hill, Md. “People want to own a piece of Elon Musk’s rocket company.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

And if I keep my eyes and ears on the job he’s doing, I can make sure that the work he does at the OldMill is honest and trustworthy.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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