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

• 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 mother of her French host family cooked simply and honestly each night with ingredients in season in Burgundy. —Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 12 Aug. 2025

Answering honestly will tell you more about your leadership effectiveness than any performance metric. —Dennis Kozak, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Malcolm appears to have a genuine crush on Ellen and honestly seems like a nice guy as far as clan dudes go. —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025

For the price, the performance and usability are honestly hard to beat. —Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Aug. 2025

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