honest

[on-ist] /ˈɒn ɪst/
adjective
1.
honorable in principles, intentions, and actions; upright and fair:
an honest person.
2.
showing uprightness and fairness:
honest dealings.
3.
gained or obtained fairly:
honest wealth.
4.
sincere; frank:
an honest face.
5.
genuine or unadulterated:
honest commodities.
6.
respectable; having a good reputation:
an honest name.
7.
truthful or creditable:
honest weights.
8.
humble, plain, or unadorned.
9.
Archaic. chaste; virtuous.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English honeste < Middle French < Latin honestus honorable, equivalent to hones- (variant stem of honōs) honor + -tus adj. suffix
Related forms
honestness, noun
overhonest, adjective
overhonestly, adverb
overhonestness, noun
quasi-honest, adjective
quasi-honestly, adverb
Synonyms
1. just, incorruptible, trusty, trustworthy. 2. fair. 4. straightforward, candid. 5, 9. pure.
Antonyms
1. dishonest, corrupt.
Examples from the web for honest
  • All the real things, the authentic things, the honest things are dying off.
  • We are a people who conduct ourselves in an honest, trustworthy and ethical manner at all times.
  • At the time, I had no clue whether the alleged honor resulted from an honest mistake or a knowing deception.
  • The solution to this is to be entirely honest with everyone.
  • Sounds as if you're not being entirely honest.
  • It is a honest method given by an honest man.
  • We are going to be honest and direct in our views.
  • Girls will recognize their own dilemmas here and feel encouraged by the author's honest and sympathetic approach.
  • It was an honest answer, but I regret its glibness.
  • Alice emerges as an irresistible heroine, imaginative in her storytelling and painfully honest in her reportage.
British Dictionary definitions for honest

honest

/ˈɒnɪst/
adjective
1.
not given to lying, cheating, stealing, etc; trustworthy
2.
not false or misleading; genuine
3.
just or fair: honest wages
4.
characterized by sincerity and candour: an honest appraisal
5.
without pretensions or artificial traits: honest farmers
6.
(archaic) (of a woman) respectable
7.
honest broker, a mediator in disputes, esp international ones
8.
(interjection) (school slang) honest Injun, genuinely, really
9.
honest to God, honest to goodness
  1. (adjective) completely authentic
  2. (interjection) an expression of affirmation or surprise
10.
make an honest woman of, to marry (a woman, esp one who is pregnant) to prevent scandal
Derived Forms
honestness, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French honeste, from Latin honestus distinguished, from honōshonour
Word Origin and History for honest
adj.

c.1300, "respectable, decent, of neat appearance," also "free from fraud," from Old French honeste (12c.; Modern French honnête), from Latin honestus "honorable, respected, regarded with honor," figuratively "deserving honor, honorable, respectable," from honos (see honor (n.)). Main modern sense of "dealing fairly, truthful" is c.1400, as is sense of "virtuous." Phrase to make an honest woman of "marry a woman after seduction" is from 1620s.

Idioms and Phrases with honest

honest

In addition to the idioms beginning with honest
honest to God
also see: