Meaning of honest in English

honest

adjective

/ˈɒn.ɪst/ us

/ˈɑː.nɪst/

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telling the truth or able to be trusted and not likely to steal, cheat, or lie:

She's completely honest.

I'd like you to give me an honest answer/your honest opinion.

He had an honest face (= he looked like he could be trusted).

Opposite

dishonest

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

morally right

goodShe is a good woman who goes out of her way to help others.
virtuousI believe that humans are, despite their flaws, capable of virtuous conduct.
righteousHe refused to stray from the righteous path.
honestHe was a hardworking, honest family man who was only trying to do his duty.
upstandingI’m sure most of them are honest, upstanding members of society.

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Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

telling the truth and able to be trusted

honestThe new MP was refreshingly honest with her constituents.
straightJust be straight with her and tell her how you feel.
sincereHe's so sincere that you know exactly where you stand with him.
truthfulAre you being truthful with me?

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More examplesFewer examples

Be honest now - do you think this dress is too young for me?
I wasn't entirely honest with him, I admit, but I didn't actually tell him any lies.
To be brutally honest, you look fat in that dress.
She has an honest, open face.
I didn't know she would be there - that's the honest truth.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Honesty, openness & sincerity

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Idioms

honest (to God/goodness)
make an honest living
make an honest woman (out) of someone
to be honest (with you)

(Definition of honest from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

honest | American Dictionary

honest

adjective

/ˈɑn·əst/

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(of a person) truthful or able to be trusted; not likely to steal, cheat, or lie, or (of actions, speech, or appearance) showing these qualities:

an honest man

an honest answer

To be honest (= To tell the truth), I didn’t like the movie.

(Definition of honest from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of honest

honest

Yet, growing into old age has taught me to be honest with myself.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It might have been useful in this theological text to be honest about the ways in which religion might be destructive to human wellbeing.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Many readers may find this too vague and nondirective a conclusion, but it may also be the most honest and potentially motivational conclusion available.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In the crucial issues of rhetorical cogency, expressive adequacy, and honest intent, such tools have no place.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Truth telling is an important principle of medical ethics because honest communication shows respect, it promotes an effective therapeutic relationship, and it preserves trust.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

For some people, they give correct change because they are honest, because they care about fairness, and so on.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The role of honest broker in negotiations between loquacious opponents, however, was not to the ambassador's liking.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

His call for "honest" taxes operated on the premise that his opponents would flinch before the prospect of a divisive debate about transparent taxes.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Lastly, sincerity (being honest, speaking from the heart, etc.) is a positive trait that rock critics commonly cite.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The disagreement here is confined to the author's open and honest reductionism.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Both sides may be perfectly honest, both may wish to tell the truth and the whole truth.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

And yet, if the moderates were morally narrow and shortsighted, they were also morally honest.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This awkward piece, gangling and almost painfully honest in its criticism, was, so to speak, 'disappeared'.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Here is a painful and painfully honest account of how easily a project can fail to meet its own expectations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To be honest, it is hard to say - they actually give little attention to offering constructive alternatives, or routes to achieving them.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of honest?

Translations of honest

in Chinese (Traditional)

誠實的，可信的…

Meaning of honest in English

Idioms

honest | American Dictionary

Examples of honest

Translations of honest

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