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

The props team either hated me or loved me, honestly [laughs]. — Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026

Our responsibility as university leaders is not to dismiss or retreat from them, but to confront them honestly. — Daniel Diermeier, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Something that some experts claim ended up incentivizing cheating over honestly working on the challenge. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 30 July 2026

Therapists also suggest talking honestly about debt, credit and any financial obligations one partner is bringing into the relationship, so nothing surprises the other person after the boxes are unpacked. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 29 July 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