Definition of probitynext
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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun probity contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of probity are honesty, honor, and integrity. While all these words mean "uprightness of character or action," probity implies tried and proven honesty or integrity.

When might honesty be a better fit than probity?

The words honesty and probity can be used in similar contexts, but honesty implies a refusal to lie, steal, or deceive in any way.

When is it sensible to use honor instead of probity?

The words honor and probity are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, honor suggests an active or anxious regard for the standards of one's profession, calling, or position.

When could integrity be used to replace probity?

In some situations, the words integrity and probity are roughly equivalent. However, integrity implies trustworthiness and incorruptibility to a degree that one is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility, or pledge.

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 probity As for the legal probity of targeting such a change at one country—China—this would hardly be unprecedented. Alex Raskolnikov, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2025 The legal and political crisis encompasses both the Justice Department and New York’s City Hall, calling into question Mr. Adams’s future as well as the independence and probity of federal prosecutions. Benjamin Weiser, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025 Carter’s outsider status, coupled with his evident probity, provided a tonic to an electorate weary of Watergate and Richard Nixon’s endless prevarications. Randall Balmer, The Mercury News, 2 Jan. 2025 The dilemma recalls Otto Preminger’s Whirlpool and Where the Sidewalk Ends, post-WWII films about personal probity but without the melodramatic hype that cheapened both. Armond White, National Review, 22 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for probity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probity
Noun
  • Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.
    Matt Parrott, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Californians are looking for integrity.
    Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Through her social media platforms, Libby is known to connect and empower women with honesty, humor, and her relatable voice.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
  • So does his willingness to examine his own work with the same honesty the Nets demanded from their players.
    C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Kuruc earned all-state honors last season as a sophomore, scoring 24 goals and setting a program record with 26 assists.
    Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Two of them were assassinated while serving their nation and received that honor as respect for their efforts.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Freed from all the entanglements that come with having to launch a ground invasion, air war can overfly not just morality and law but arguments, rationales, the calibration of risks to rewards and of suffering to satisfaction.
    Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
  • This split makes reason, self-knowledge and morality possible.
    Ross Channing Reed, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • There is an emphatic truthfulness to the story and the performances that anchor it, which is both refreshing and innovative.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Some people thought the character was too much, but Danica managed to make her just that without losing the truthfulness, and the ending wouldn’t have worked without that.
    Annika Pham, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • This is non-serious lawmaking — a transparent virtue-signal rather than an effort at problem-solving.
    Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026
  • But while this was a flaw Dunham was exploiting, some fans saw it as a virtue.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In an impactful Broadway debut, the Scream star finds the sweet spot between sincerity and satire, playing Rose as earnestly naive without losing the character's strength.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Try a small style change, because leading with sincerity draws the right people.
    Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • And just as Nicky is the only person who can see Morgan’s goodness inside her many flaws, only Morgan recognizes Nicky’s unhappiness buried within his bizarre decision to be a priest.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Delicate rolls of cabbage, stuffed with a compendium of meats, rice, veggies, and grandma-level goodness, are absolutely certain to satisfy.
    Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Probity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probity. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

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