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

Furious drops the ball a bit in the interactions with Emma and Jay Easton, turning them into one-dimensional caricatures instead of complex villains, but honestly, this show isn’t really about them. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

But honestly, what got me the most excited was less about the supernatural concept of demons coming to this world. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026

Both Leonard and head coach Klint Kubiak have expressed that the plan is to rotate players around, but honestly, this defense is tailor-made for Maxx Crosby to have an outstanding year. — Gladys Louise Tyler, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

But at least their mediocrity has been entirely, painfully, and honestly earned. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 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