Honest — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Honest (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. being in the habit of telling the truth

   "at least the weatherman is honest and doesn't pretend to be able to predict the unpredictable"

   similar: truthful, veracious
   related: candid, direct, forthcoming, forthright, foursquare, frank, freehearted, free-spoken, open, openhearted, out-front, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, believable, credible, true, veritable, artless, earnest, genuine, guileless, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious, conscientious, moral, principled, scrupulous, aboveboard, dependable, reliable, trustable, trustworthy, trusty
   opposite: dishonest, fibbing, lying, mendacious, prevaricating, untruthful
   near: fallacious, false, untrue, unbelievable, undependable, unreliable, unscrupulous, untrustworthy, bluffing, dissembling, dissimulating, duplicitous, equivocating, hypocritical, insincere, posing, pretending, artful, deceitful, deceptive, devious, evasive, slick, slippery, sly, sneaky, treacherous, tricky, underhanded, wily

2. conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue

   "an area populated by honest and industrious farm folk"

   similar: all right, decent, ethical, good, honorable, just, moral, nice, right, right-minded, righteous, straight, true, upright, virtuous
   related: correct, decorous, proper, seemly, high-minded, noble, principled, commendable, creditable, exemplary, legitimate, esteemed, law-abiding, menschy, reputable, respected, upstanding, worthy, blameless, clean, guiltless, immaculate, incorrupt, incorruptible, innocent, inoffensive, irreproachable, unobjectionable, angelic, lily-white, pure, scrupulous, spotless, uncorrupted, unerring, goody-goody, moralistic, pharisaical, rectitudinous, sanctimonious, self-righteous
   opposite: bad, dishonest, dishonorable, evil, evil-minded, immoral, indecent, sinful, unethical, unrighteous, wicked, wrong
   near: improper, incorrect, indecorous, naughty, unbecoming, unseemly, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, libertine, perverted, reprobate, unprincipled, unscrupulous, atrocious, infamous, villainous, base, low, mean, vicious, vile, blameworthy, objectionable, offensive, iniquitous, nefarious, errant, erring, fallen

3. following the accepted rules of moral conduct

   "an honest customer who doesn't hesitate to tell the cashier she's given him too much change"

   similar: decent, ethical, honorable, just, noble, principled, respectable, righteous, stand-up, upright, upstanding
   related: blameless, guiltless, irreproachable, unassailable, unimpeachable, chivalrous, classy, high-minded, menschy, right-minded, conscientious, fair, good, incorruptible, moral, reputable, respected, scrupulous, uncorrupted, virtuous, decorous, nice, polite, proper, seemly
   opposite: base, dishonest, dishonorable, ignoble, low, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unworthy
   near: bad, blackguardly, corrupt, criminal, crooked, evil, immoral, iniquitous, knavish, mean, nefarious, rascally, reprehensible, roguish, rotten, scoundrelly, sinful, unfair, unscrupulous, vile, villainous, wicked, wretched, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, culpable, debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, disgraceful, disreputable, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, loose, perverse, perverted, profligate, reprobate, shameful, venal

4. free from any intent to deceive or impress others

   "the sort of person who helps others from an honest desire to do good"

   similar: artless, genuine, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, natural, real, simple, sincere, true, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious, on the level
   related: childlike, dewy-eyed, gee-whiz, impressionable, inexperienced, malleable, persuadable, persuasible, simpleminded, unsophisticated, unworldly, wide-eyed, spontaneous, unforced, unstudied, candid, direct, frank, free, free-spoken, open, openhearted, plain, plainspoken, single-minded, straight, straightforward, unguarded, trustful, trusting, exploitable, gullible, susceptible, unwary
   opposite: affected, artful, artificial, assuming, dishonest, dissembling, dissimulating, fake, false, guileful, insincere, phony, pretentious
   near: critical, cynical, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, wary, cosmopolitan, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise, civilized, cultivated, cultured, polished, refined, crooked, deceitful, deceptive, devious, double-dealing, hypocritical, manipulative, two-faced, arch, calculating, canny, crafty, cunning, designing, foxy, knavish, scheming, sharp, shifty, shrewd, slick, slippery, sly, subtle, tricky, underhanded, wily, flattering, mealymouthed, smooth, sycophantic, unctuous, feigned, forced, strained

5. free in expressing one's true feelings and opinions

   "appreciate your honest friends, who tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear"

   similar: candid, direct, forthcoming, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, freehearted, open, openhearted, out-front, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, straight, straightforward, unguarded, unreserved, up-front
   related: artless, earnest, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, natural, real, sincere, unaffected, undesigning, unpretending, unpretentious, outgoing, uninhibited, unrestrained, vocal, vociferous, abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, gruff, sharp, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, rude, tactless, thoughtless, uncivil, undiplomatic, ungracious, unmannerly, unsubtle
   opposite: dissembling, uncandid, unforthcoming
   near: inhibited, reserved, restrained, close-mouthed, laconic, quiet, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative, ambiguous, circuitous, equivocal, evasive, diplomatic, politic, tactful, civil, considerate, courteous, polite

6. guided by or in accordance with one's sense of right and wrong

   "made an honest attempt to return the money she had found in the cafeteria"

   similar: conscientious, conscionable, ethical, honorable, just, moral, principled, scrupulous
   related: decent, good, righteous, right-minded, straight, upright, virtuous, dutiful, observant, respectful, overconscientious, reliable, responsible, solid, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trusty, esteemed, law-abiding, reputable, respected, upstanding, worthy
   opposite: cutthroat, dishonest, dishonorable, immoral, unconscionable, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unscrupulous
   near: bad, evil, evil-minded, immoral, indecent, sinful, unrighteous, wicked, unreliable, untrustworthy, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, perverted, reprobate, atrocious, infamous, villainous, base, low, mean, vicious, vile, iniquitous, nefarious

7. being exactly as appears or as claimed

   "a restaurant serving honest down-home Southern cooking"

   similar: authentic, bona fide, certifiable, certified, dinkum (Australian & New Zealand), echt, genuine, pukka, real, right, sure-enough, true, for real
   related: actual, historical, original, lawful, legal, legitimate, identifiable, recognizable, verifiable, proven, substantiated, validated, verified, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, irrefutable, undeniable, undoubted, unmistakable, unquestionable, veritable, very, accurate, correct, proper, pure, unadulterated, unalloyed
   opposite: bogus, counterfeit, fake, false, mock, phony, pseudo, sham, spurious, suppositious, supposititious, unauthentic, unreal
   near: artificial, factitious, imitation, man-made, simulated, synthetic, unnatural, concocted, fabricated, manufactured, deceptive, delusive, delusory, misleading