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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun honesty contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of honesty are honor, integrity, and probity. While all these words mean "uprightness of character or action," honesty implies a refusal to lie, steal, or deceive in any way.

When is honor a more appropriate choice than honesty?

While the synonyms honor and honesty are close in meaning, honor suggests an active or anxious regard for the standards of one's profession, calling, or position.

When would integrity be a good substitute for honesty?

The meanings of integrity and honesty largely overlap; however, integrity implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility, or pledge.

When could probity be used to replace honesty?

While in some cases nearly identical to honesty, probity implies tried and proven honesty or integrity.

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 honesty The first film from 20th Century Women and Beginners’ Mike Mills, this mild but clever coming-of-age comedy adaptation of a Walter Kirn novel has Mills’s trademark good cheer and emotional honesty. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025 Rose, who's written for Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, praised Yearwood's instinct and honesty. Bryan West, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Oct. 2025 But outside the Manhattan martini lunches, Cattrall brings some of that same honesty to her own journey. Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 16 Oct. 2025 No, honesty is not the best policy here. Judith Martin, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for honesty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for honesty
Noun
  • Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Closing these gaps — by proving cold chain integrity and making preparation steps unmistakable — is key to preventing devastating safety breakdowns and the category-wide PR fallout that can follow a single recall.
    Darin Detwiler, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • When the pursuit of the truth calls character into question, a war over morality begins and a clash between #Momtok and #Dadtok erupts.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
  • When the pursuit of the truth calls character into question, a war over morality begins, and a clash between #Momtok and #Dadtok erupts.
    Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Johnson’s early performance led to him earning second-team midseason Associated Press All-America honors.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2025
  • And even though those consequences are, in the grand scheme of things, nothing as big as what their conduct might demand, the fact that Andrew had to give up his royal titles and honors is more than a lot of people expected.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The film’s ever-so-slightly absurd sincerity is nothing if not brazen.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2025
  • In the film’s version of events, the fate of the plane and everyone on it comes down to Nobody’s ability to manipulate the relative sincerity of Japan’s Deputy Minister Shinichi Ishida and Seo Go-myung.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Syclone may not have been fully appreciated during its day, but today, more than 30 years later, enthusiasts have caught onto its major virtues.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Instead, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention now posits that empathy is an artificial virtue.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The recording of that release as depicted in the documentary is the balancing light to the overwhelming dark Osbourne experienced in his later years, a series of illnesses, hospitalizations, frustrations and ceaseless pain shown with unblinking frankness.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Collier, who was injured during the playoff series, read from a prepared statement that shocked everyone watching—if not for its contents, for its frankness.
    Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Brand equity and relevance need to be fed over time, as they are considered notions of quality and reliability by clients, informing their purchasing choices.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The businesses surviving today are those making hard decisions now—about sourcing, shipping, and paying for reliability.
    Vitalii Savryha, Sourcing Journal, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The result is a skillet of melty goodness that’s packed with flavor.
    Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Thank goodness that remains true today.
    Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Honesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/honesty. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on honesty

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