honestly

adverb hon·est·ly \ ˈä-nəst-lē \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of honestly

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

See honestly defined for English-language learners

See honestly defined for kids

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 of honestly from the Web

Most of our funding goes towards access and improving the quality of care, mostly for underserved women—but honestly, any woman could benefit from having more knowledge and a better experience.

— eviana hartman, Vogue, "Christy Turlington on Sustainable Fashion, Women’s Health in the Age of Trump, and #MeToo," 6 Apr. 2018
In addition to her teary video, Jenna also shared behind the scenes videos of the set on her Instagram Stories, which honestly makes us love the Diaz family even more.

— stacey grant, Seventeen, "Did Jenna Ortega Just Hint That "Stuck in the Middle" Is Ending?," 25 Mar. 2018
The Iditarod needs to deal honestly with the issues the film raises and needs to show how their mushers' dogs are being treated not just during the race but also, especially, in their kennels.

— peter porco, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Sled Dogs’ is an important movie. The pushback is a sign that it’s on target," 2 Mar. 2018
New plans put into place for tomorrow to extract the drone https://t.co/IwJdufHeDv — Megan Owens (@_megan_danielle) December 26, 2017 No one will honestly believe how hillbilly my family is but listen.

— faine greenwood, Slate Magazine, "Merry Crashmas," 3 Jan. 2018
The idea of changing that picture’s been terrifying, honestly.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "‘Mallory Is Not Gone’: Daniel Mallory Ortberg on Coming Out As Trans," 13 Mar. 2018
Anybody honestly believe the Fins are better without Ajayi, Landry and Suh?

— greg cote, miamiherald, "If these daring moves backfire the Dolphins will be a laughingstock | Miami Herald," 12 Mar. 2018
Luthe grew up in a small town in Illinois and gets her heart for social justice and kids honestly.

— maureen c. gilmer, Indianapolis Star, "'Blue-eyed soul sister' brings life, hope back to Martin Luther King Center," 11 Mar. 2018
With the right policies, honestly executed, rolling stock, rather than livestock, could someday glide along the tracks of the Transnordestina railway.

— The Economist, "Latin America needs an infrastructure upgrade," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'honestly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of honestly

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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honestly Synonyms

Synonyms

actually, admittedly, frankly, indeed, really, truly, truthfully, verily;

Phrases

as a matter of fact, in actuality, in fact, in point of fact, in reality, in truth, to be sure;

HONESTLY Defined for English Language Learners

honestly

adverb

Definition of honestly for English Language Learners

: without cheating or lying : in an honest way
: in a genuine way : without pretending
—used to stress that a statement is true

HONESTLY Defined for Kids

honestly

adverb hon·est·ly \ ˈä-nəst-lē \

Definition of honestly for Students

1 : without cheating or lying : in an honest manner

They made their money honestly.

2 : in a real and sincere way

She was honestly scared.

3 —used to stress the truth or sincerity of what is being said

Honestly, I don't know how you do it.

4 —used to show annoyance or disapproval

Is that your excuse? Honestly!

Learn More about honestly

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for honestly Britannica English: Translation of honestly for Arabic speakers

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honestly

Definition of honestly

Examples of honestly in a Sentence

Recent Examples of honestly from the Web

First Known Use of honestly

honestly Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases

HONESTLY Defined for English Language Learners

honestly

Definition of honestly for English Language Learners

HONESTLY Defined for Kids

honestly

Definition of honestly for Students

Learn More about honestly

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