honesty

noun

hon·​es·​ty ˈä-nə-stē How to pronounce honesty (audio)
plural honesties
1
a
: adherence to the facts : sincerity
doubted the honesty of the witness
b
: fairness and straightforwardness of conduct
calling for honesty in politics
2
: any of a genus (Lunaria) of European and southwest Asian plants of the mustard family that have toothed hairy leaves, small white or violet flowers, and flat silvery seedpods that are siliques
especially : a European biennial (Lunaria annua) that is often grown for its ornamental disk-shaped seedpods : money plant sense 1
3
obsolete : chastity
Choose the Right Synonym for honesty

honesty, honor, integrity, probity mean uprightness of character or action.

honesty implies a refusal to lie, steal, or deceive in any way.

honor suggests an active or anxious regard for the standards of one's profession, calling, or position.

integrity implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility, or pledge.

probity implies tried and proven honesty or integrity.

Examples of honesty in a Sentence

She is admired for her kindness and her honesty. He demands honesty from everyone who works for him. He didn't even have enough honesty to tell me he was leaving.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
No president before has been so brazen in punishing honesty. Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 Early plays Maddie with honesty and humor, throwing himself fully into the role. Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 Yet part of the force of it is that Michôd has not contorted Christy Martin’s life into some false arc; what was going on beneath her triumph is portrayed with a desperate and idiosyncratic honesty. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025 Without that inner honesty, partners sense the inconsistency, avoid the hard conversations and eventually face breakdowns in trust. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for honesty

Word History

Etymology

Middle English honeste, honestie "honorable position, good name, propriety of behavior, moral purity, chastity," borrowed from Anglo-French honesté, borrowed from Latin honestāt-, honestās "honorableness, moral rectitude, decency," by haplology from *honestitāt-, *honestitās, from honestus "of good repute, morally worthy" + -itāt-, -itās -ity; (sense 2) probably so called from the translucence of the siliques — more at honest entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of honesty was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Honesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honesty. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

honesty

noun
hon·​es·​ty ˈän-ə-stē How to pronounce honesty (audio)
: the quality or state of being honest

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