honestly

adverb

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hon·est·ly | \ ˈä-nəst-lē

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About honestly

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 And, honestly, this could have just felt like a Shameless sequel, just about Lip. — Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 July 2022 And also just trying to portray him as honestly as possible. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2022 Instagram handle began with this factual tweet, that honestly could have been written by any of us. — Lauren Pinnington, Glamour, 25 July 2022 But the finale's last-ditch plot twist that few saw coming (or, honestly, asked for) was just enough to resign Asylum to the second spot on our list, though not without a good fight. — Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 20 July 2022 Listen carefully and ask what questions kids have, and then respond honestly with a focus on the basics. — Erica Scharrer, The Conversation, 18 July 2022 The answer, some say, may lie with honestly articulating what those needs are. — Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 July 2022 By honestly saying the quiet part out loud, this op-ed reveals how claims about remote work undermining productivity, innovation, and social capital try to cover up other concerns. — Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 11 July 2022 Most religions teach loving first and loving your neighbor, and professors honestly challenge students to engage, love, support and take action to help those in need. — Leah Campano, Seventeen, 10 July 2022 See More

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.