honest
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
honest
- /ˈɒn.ɪst/ UK
- /ˈɔː.nɪst/ UK, dated
- /ˈɑ.nɪst/ Atlantic Canada, US
- /ˈɑ.nəst/ Atlantic Canada, US
- /ˈɒn.ɪst/ Canada, dialectal
- /ˈɔn.ɪst/ Australia
- /ˈɔn.əst/ Australia
- /ɒn.ə.st/ New Zealand
- [ˈɔ̟n.ə.st] New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɒnɪst, -ɔːnɪst, -ɑnɪst
Where it comes from
From Middle English honest, honeste (“honourable, appropriate, excellent”), from Old French honeste, from Latin honestus, from honor. For the verb, see Latin honestāre (“to clothe or adorn with honour”), and compare French honester. Displaced native Old English sōþfæst (literally “truth-firm”).
adjective more honest · honester · most honest · honestest
- Scrupulous with regard to telling the truth; not given to swindling, lying, or fraud; upright. brutally honest
-
True, especially as far as is known by the person making the statement; fair; unbiased.
an honest account of events
Similar: truthful
- In good faith; without malice. an honest mistake
- Accurate. an honest scale
- Authentic; full. an honest day's work
- Earned or acquired in a fair manner. an honest dollar
- Open; frank. an honest countenance
- Decent; honourable; suitable; becoming. Behold what honest clothes you send forth to bleaching!
- Chaste; faithful; virtuous. Wives may be merry, and yet honest too.
Similar: earnest, fair dinkum, forthright, downright, upfront, foursquare, frank, genuine, up-front, honest, legitimate, on the level, on the up-and-up, square, straight, straight dinkum, straightforward, true, truthful, trustworthy, up front, veracious, veridical · Opposite: dishonest, hypocritical, insincere, shady
verb honests · honesting · honested
- To adorn or grace; to honour; to make becoming, appropriate, or honourable. You have very much honested my lodging with your presence.
adverb more honest · most honest
- Honestly; really. It wasn’t my fault, honest.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sincere, truthful, veracious, trusty, trustworthy, dependable, reliable, true, honorable, straight, downright, open, unpretentious, artless, guileless, square
adjective
Similar: earnest, fair dinkum, forthright, downright, upfront, foursquare, frank, genuine, up-front, honest, legitimate, on the level, on the up-and-up, square, straight, straight dinkum, straightforward, true, truthful, trustworthy, up front, veracious, veridical · Opposite: dishonest, hypocritical, insincere, shady
Translations
Every language
adj scrupulous with regard to telling the truth
| Español | honesto, sincero |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 정직하다 jeongjikhada |
| 日本語 | 正直 shōjiki, 誠実 seijitsu |
| 中文 | 誠實 /诚实 chéngshí, 正直 zhèngzhí, 老實 /老实 lǎoshi |
| हिन्दी | ईमानदार īmāndār, सच्चा saccā |
| Português | honesto, sincero |
| Français | honnête |
| Deutsch | ehrlich, aufrichtig |
| Italiano | onesto |
| Ελληνικά | τίμιος tímios, έντιμος éntimos |
| Română | cinstit, onest |
| Русский | че́стный čéstnyj, и́скренний ískrennij, правди́вый pravdívyj |
| Tiếng Việt | thành thật |
| العربية | نَزِيه nazīh, صَادِق ṣādiq |
| עברית | כנה kené |
adj of a statement: true, fair, unbiased
| Русский | правди́вый pravdívyj |
|---|
adj in good faith, without malice
| Русский | и́скренний ískrennij |
|---|
adj authentic, full
| Русский | по́длинный pódlinnyj, и́стинный ístinnyj |
|---|
Talk about this word "honest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/honest. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. honest. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/honest "honest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/honest.Cite this
@misc{honest_2026,
title = {honest},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/honest},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
