honest

adjective

ˈä-nəst How to pronounce honest (audio)
Definition of honestnext
1
as in truthful
being in the habit of telling the truth at least the weatherman is honest and doesn't pretend to be able to predict the unpredictable

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2
as in honorable
conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue an area populated by honest and industrious farm folk

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3
as in ethical
following the accepted rules of moral conduct an honest customer who doesn't hesitate to tell the cashier she's given him too much change

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4
as in genuine
free from any intent to deceive or impress others the sort of person who helps others from an honest desire to do good

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in candid
free in expressing one's true feelings and opinions appreciate your honest friends, who tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in conscientious
guided by or in accordance with one's sense of right and wrong made an honest attempt to return the money she had found in the cafeteria

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7
as in authentic
being exactly as appears or as claimed a restaurant serving honest down-home Southern cooking

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective honest differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of honest are conscientious, honorable, just, scrupulous, and upright. While all these words mean "having or showing a strict regard for what is morally right," honest stresses adherence to such virtues as truthfulness, candor, or fairness.

known for being honest in business dealings

How do conscientious and scrupulous relate to one another, in the sense of honest?

Both conscientious and scrupulous imply an active moral sense governing all one's actions and painstaking efforts to follow one's conscience.

conscientious in the completion of her assignments
scrupulous in carrying out the terms of the will

When would honorable be a good substitute for honest?

The meanings of honorable and honest largely overlap; however, honorable suggests a firm holding to codes of right behavior and the guidance of a high sense of honor and duty.

a difficult but honorable decision

Where would just be a reasonable alternative to honest?

While the synonyms just and honest are close in meaning, just stresses conscious choice and regular practice of what is right or equitable.

workers given just compensation

When might upright be a better fit than honest?

The words upright and honest can be used in similar contexts, but upright implies a strict adherence to moral principles.

a stern and upright minister

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of honest Magic is an iterative sport, requiring trial, error, and honest self-assessment. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026 That means one honest, meaningful price reduction, not a slow trickle of small ones. — Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026 His raw and honest Substack, about addiction and recovery, can be hard for his family to read. — Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2026 In his first public comments since Democrats' rout of Republicans in the midterm elections, Vance said Republicans must be honest about the impact the war had on their campaigns in order to determine the best path forward for the party. — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for honest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for honest
  1. outspoken
  2. honorable
  3. ethical
  4. genuine
  5. candid
  6. conscientious
  7. authentic
  8. truthful
Adjective
  • The feud helped cost Republicans an incumbent who may have been tougher for Democrats to dislodge, and Tillis has emerged as an increasingly outspoken critic of the president.
    — Bill Barrow, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Some Democrats have been outspoken in their support of impeaching members of the Cabinet, such as War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
    — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of outspoken
Adjective
  • Younger and middle-aged elites are also less inclined to put up with the careers and sacrifices the state has historically presented as honorable.
    — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Drawing district lines to effectively disenfranchise voters and ensure a seat in Congress for some partisan hack was a dark-of-night sort of thing that the public hated, not an honorable practice for upstanding citizens.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of honorable
Adjective
  • Milei has also embraced data centers and a largely unfettered approach to artificial intelligence regulation, while Pope Leo's inaugural encyclical called for ethical caution and safeguards to protect human dignity in the age of AI.
    — Carrie Kahn, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Lawyers are officers of the court, bound by ethical obligations to pursue claims in good faith and not abuse the legal process for improper purposes.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of ethical
Adjective
  • The 2012 edition showed us there was genuine appetite for Dracula in audio, and that the epistolary structure of letters and diary entries actually works beautifully when performed by multiple voices.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The organizations that succeed over the next decade will likely have invested in a culture that breeds adaptability through genuine empathy, honest communication and support.
    — Suzanne Konstance, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of genuine
Adjective
  • Bruckheimer has been candid about work on a new Pirates film which would have Jeff Nathanson writing the script.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Last month, Brody, who is Jewish and currently plays Rabbi Noah Roklov in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This, spoke to GQ about his political advocacy and went viral for getting candid about his views on Israel and Gaza.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of candid
Adjective
  • Once reading time kicked off during a recent meetup, the only sounds from the group were the quiet rustle of pages turning and the conscientious nibbling of snacks and sipping of tea as the cafe continued its bustle.
    — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Even if every senator were ethical, conscientious and committed to the public good, the incentives would remain the same.
    — Nicholas Jacobs, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of conscientious
Adjective
  • The pizzeria has been ranked by the 50 Top Pizza Italian guide for six years in a row, noted for its authentic Neapolitan pizza.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
  • There’s been a lot of talk about candidates being authentic, being relatable.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of authentic
Adjective
  • Fiction offers us an entry point into a much more truthful world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Becoming Richard Pryor by Scott Saul Richard Pryor was a genius, a revolutionary, and such a truthful entertainer.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of truthful

Phrases Containing honest

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hones in (on)
honest
honest broker
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Cite this Entry

“Honest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/honest. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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