honest-to-goodness
adjective
chiefly US, informal
: not fake, false, or artificial : real
He is an honest-to-goodness legend.
an honest-to-goodness movie star
Examples of honest-to-goodness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ironically, an honest-to-goodness mummy movie consumed with exotica (the first one from 1932 was released in the wake of the global mania over King Tut’s tomb) makes a lot of sense right now, with America straying into foreign deserts.
—
Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
The Hornets are one more win away from an honest-to-goodness, legitimate playoff berth for the first time in a decade.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2026
Mora insinuated that an honest-to-goodness QB battle in FoCo could continue through the summer months.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
This is not what real, honest-to-goodness, ride-or-die friends do.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Mar. 2026
All-Star Friday featured future prospects in the Rising Stars event, plus an honest-to-goodness conference game involving Historic Black Colleges and Universities, Hampton and North Carolina A&T.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026
Shifting the center differential between high and low and locking it was done via an honest-to-goodness shifter, too.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In Greater Cincinnati, our honest-to-goodness gems range from a battered sandwich shop in Norwood to a classy but oft-overlooked cocktail lounge downtown.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2026
The 65-game requirement added to the 2023 collective bargaining agreement came as a response to load management, but actual, honest-to-goodness injuries threaten to make a mockery of it by leaving several of the league’s best players just a few games short of the threshold.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
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Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
The Hornets are one more win away from an honest-to-goodness, legitimate playoff berth for the first time in a decade.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2026
Mora insinuated that an honest-to-goodness QB battle in FoCo could continue through the summer months.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
This is not what real, honest-to-goodness, ride-or-die friends do.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Mar. 2026
All-Star Friday featured future prospects in the Rising Stars event, plus an honest-to-goodness conference game involving Historic Black Colleges and Universities, Hampton and North Carolina A&T.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026
Shifting the center differential between high and low and locking it was done via an honest-to-goodness shifter, too.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In Greater Cincinnati, our honest-to-goodness gems range from a battered sandwich shop in Norwood to a classy but oft-overlooked cocktail lounge downtown.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2026
The 65-game requirement added to the 2023 collective bargaining agreement came as a response to load management, but actual, honest-to-goodness injuries threaten to make a mockery of it by leaving several of the league’s best players just a few games short of the threshold.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Honest-to-goodness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honest-to-goodness. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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