Synonyms of dishonesty

dishonesty

noun

(ˌ)dis-ˈä-nə-stē 

1

as in deceit

the tendency to tell lies

if you gain a reputation for dishonesty, no one will believe you even when you're telling the truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deceit
• deceitfulness
• untruthfulness
• mendacity
• falsehood
• mendaciousness
• duplicity
• insincerity
• falseness
• crookedness
• fakery
• cunning
• double-dealing
• hypocrisy
• dissembling
• dissimulation
• guile
• craftiness
• wiliness
• artifice
• craft
• trickishness
• guilefulness
• foxiness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• integrity
• honesty
• truthfulness
• probity
• sincerity
• veracity
• good faith
• honor
• frankness
• verity
• reliability
• candor
• accuracy
• straightforwardness
• trustworthiness
• dependability
• objectivity
• incorruptibility
• veraciousness
• candidness
• credibility
• correctness
• authenticity
• genuineness
• plainspokenness
• reliableness

2

as in deception

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery

a religious cult that recruits members through dishonesty and subterfuge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deception
• deceit
• deceptiveness
• fraud
• cheating
• deceitfulness
• cunning
• lying
• duplicity
• crookedness
• fakery
• double-dealing
• dissembling
• dissimulation
• crookery
• secrecy
• guile
• cunningness
• craftiness
• dupery
• fraudulence
• cozenage
• wiliness
• prevarication
• hypocrisy
• subterfuge
• mendacity
• craft
• chicanery
• artifice
• trickery
• insincerity
• skulduggery
• foxiness
• swindling
• guilefulness
• equivocation
• obliquity
• jugglery
• artfulness
• underhandedness
• hanky-panky
• deviousness
• untruth
• sanctimoniousness
• falsehood
• shrewdness
• fib
• unscrupulousness
• legerdemain
• shadiness
• mountebankery
• chicane
• sneakiness
• two-facedness
• falsity
• wile
• furtiveness
• covertness
• caginess
• slyness
• slipperiness
• treacherousness
• shiftiness
• smoothness
• slickness
• stealthiness
• oiliness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincerity
• good faith
• forthrightness
• ingenuousness
• artlessness
• frankness
• openness
• candor
• honesty
• directness
• plainness
• guilelessness
• reliability
• probity
• trustworthiness
• integrity
• candidness
• dependability
• truthfulness
• solidity
• goodness
• righteousness
• decency
• plainspokenness
• uprightness
• incorruptibility
• trustability
• reliableness
• virtuousness
• trustiness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dishonesty

Academic dishonesty emerges predictably within such environments. — Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Among the grounds listed are fraud, embezzlement, theft, misappropriation of district resources, breach of fiduciary duty, neglect of duties, criminal convictions, violations of law, policy violations, dishonesty, insubordination and failure to perform contractual obligations. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 June 2026

What begins as a small overstep gradually becomes the new baseline for dishonesty — a mechanism with obvious implications for everything from personal relationships to financial fraud to institutional corruption. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026

Independents said the worst thing about Republicans was their loyalty to Trump (10%), perceptions of corruption and self-enrichment (8%), dishonesty, hypocrisy or immorality (7%), a lack of concern for ordinary people or cruelty (6%), and ineffective and weak or unqualified leadership (5%). — Emily Guskin, ABC News, 27 May 2026