honestly

adverb

hon·​est·​ly ˈä-nəst-lē 

1

: in an honest manner: such as

a

: without cheating

counted the ballots honestly

b

: really, genuinely

was honestly scared

c

: without frills

food honestly prepared

2

: to be honest : to tell the truth

honestly, I don't know

Synonyms of honestly

• frankly
• actually
• really
• indeed

Examples of honestly in a Sentence

Officials counted the votes honestly.

The bank has always dealt honestly with me.

I can honestly say that I have never seen that man before today.

He spoke honestly about the mistakes he had made.

She honestly believes that she has been mistreated.

Recent Examples on the Web

What it cannot any longer be described as, at least not honestly, is a problem that begins only when Chinese troops start storming ashore. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

Commercially uneven, and a bit confusing in terms of what viewers honestly want from horror entertainment these days, our year in fear isn’t even close to over. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026

These days, balancing the press with writing is honestly a gift. —Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026

Which, honestly, only makes the whole thing funnier. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for honestly

• dishonestly

Kids Definition

honestly

adverb

hon·​est·​ly ˈän-əst-lē 

1

: in an honest manner: as

a

: without cheating

counted the votes honestly

b

: actually, genuinely

was honestly scared

2

: to be honest : to tell the truth

honestly, I don't understand it