honesty
Americannoun
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the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.
- Antonyms:
- dishonesty
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truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
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freedom from deceit or fraud.
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Botany. a plant, Lunaria annua, of the mustard family, having clusters of purple flowers and semitransparent, satiny pods.
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Obsolete. chastity.
noun
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the condition of being honest
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sincerity or fairness
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archaic virtue or respect
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Also called: moonwort. satinpod. a purple-flowered SE European plant, Lunaria annua, cultivated for its flattened silvery pods, which are used for indoor decoration: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
Synonym Usage
See honor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of honesty
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English honeste, from Middle French, from Latin honestās; see honest, -ty 2
Explanation
If you tell the truth, you possess the quality of honesty. If someone offers a harsh criticism of your latest attempt at songwriting, you might say, "Thank you for your honesty." Even if you don't mean it. The original meaning of honesty had more to do with honor than truthfulness, although the two are naturally linked. The trait of honesty has been prized for centuries, and Shakespeare once wrote, "Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself." The honesty flower, sometimes called the money plant, is so named because its coin-shaped seedpods are translucent, the idea of transparency symbolizing integrity.
Vocabulary lists containing honesty
Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 5)
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"Glencoe Accounting: Real-World Applications & Connections," Vocabulary from Chapter 29
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Gather Vocabulary Knowledge, Unit 5
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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.
Daniel insists on total honesty: “People have a right to know the truth,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
These small, cupboard-like "sheds" are usually jam-packed with home-baked goods that you help yourself to, and for which you are trusted to pay through an honesty box system.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
"My hope is that this film encourages Nigerians to confront the darker parts of our shared history with honesty, reflection, and empathy," said Leke.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Absurdist comedy, the kind that was Letterman’s, his “Late Night” successor Conan O’Brien’s and Colbert’s specialty, is the very soul of free speech because it pushes honesty and truth past mundane notions of propriety.
From Salon • May 21, 2026
He comes nearer honesty than any Orgota government official I know.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
