Thesaurus results for HONESTLY

honestly

adverb

ˈä-nəst-lē

Definition of honestly

as in frankly

to tell the truth honestly, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 honestly And no style is over $100, which honestly feels impossible these days. — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2026 The Eagles have been inconsistent all year and are honestly lucky to even be 2-2. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 On mornings when my face looks puffy (which is, honestly, most mornings), the cooling tip is just what the doctor ordered. — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026 The final exchange is honestly the strangest and teases what’s in store for this week’s SNL episode. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for honestly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for honestly

Adverb

The serious question of, frankly, human survival did not seem to interest them at all.

— Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
There are four of us on staff at The Verge actively testing Googlebooks and, frankly, our internal Slack discussions have been mostly filled with collective venting of frustrations, disappointments, and bewilderment.

— Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of frankly

Adverb

But Hall and Woodford, in separate contributions, set about improving the Keynesian model to take into account how consumers and businesses actually make decisions about whether to invest and spend.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
But actually, the precise challenge was to not treat it as a joke.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of actually

Adverb

The phone encounters were conceived before the pandemic, but once quarantine began, the idea of entertaining people through interactive phone plays really began to pick up steam.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
But really, traveling around with my best friends was such an incredibly bonding, grounding experience.

— Liam Hess, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of really

Adverb

That’s indeed carrying over as his collegiate career begins, and his small community back home is taking notice.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Starbucks' turnaround gains traction with consumers New consumer data offered encouraging evidence that the Starbucks turnaround is, indeed, taking hold.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of indeed

Browse Nearby Words

honest brokers

honestly

honesty

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Honestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/honestly. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of honestly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes