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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 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 Although this is the right move to convince the ECB that becoming lender of last resort will not open the door to moral hazard, since the pact is to bind all countries to fiscal probity, the austerity policies embedded in it are likely only to reinforce the growth crisis. Vivien A. Schmidt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Nov. 2011 But the arrival in the emerging world of financial globalization, with its demands of political and institutional stability, financial supervision, and monetary and fiscal probity, proved far more damaging. Alan M. Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2011 See All Example Sentences for probity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for probity
Noun
  • In his spending plan this year, Trump proposed an 8% reduction in staff at the bureau, raising questions over the integrity of its counts on employment, consumer prices and multiple other economic metrics.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Experts and lawmakers stressed that the integrity of the BLS is central to public trust and informed economic decision-making.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Not so much sonically, but just her honesty and her ability to enunciate these things.
    Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025
  • This intellectual honesty, or the willingness to acknowledge uncertainty and remain open to new perspectives, is essential for business leaders.
    Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • It's been an absolute honor to represent the Chancellor legacy.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 28 July 2025
  • The 2026 Arkansas Teacher of the Year will be announced in the fall and will qualify for the National Teacher of the Year top honor, which typically announces its winner in the following spring.
    Dmitry Martirosov, Arkansas Online, 28 July 2025
Noun
  • This kid is going to have to discover what human morality is and that horror exists in many forms.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2025
  • Like the first half of Trauma Plot, and the majority of Sylvia Plath’s short life, the book takes place in New England, where the veneer of white middle-class morality can’t quite mask the ongoing structural violence ushered in by imperial colonialism half a millennia ago.
    Emily Van Duyne July 24, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • In life and in the garden: Patience is a virtue and can pay dividends.
    Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
  • All three also managed to qualify for the Paris Olympics last June—Fisher and Young both netted their tickets in the 10K, while Blanks, by virtue of his World Ranking, earned his spot after finishing fourth in the 5K the U.S. Olympic Trials (joining Fisher, who doubled in both events).
    Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This turns out to be another name for Galactus, a surprisingly scary Marvel villain played with sinister sincerity by Ralph Ineson.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 July 2025
  • The host’s mix of candor, patriotism and sincerity, along with his ability to mine humor in current events, however, has been credited for fueling the show’s success.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • The President has his own meme coin for goodness sake!
    Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
  • Turns out, Buzz’s story tapped into something universal: the comfort, emotional intelligence and pure goodness dogs bring into our lives.
    Ashley Vega, People.com, 28 July 2025
Noun
  • Organizations that aspire to succeed in the new digital economy must prioritize innovation, reliability, quality, cost-effectiveness, and security.
    Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Given PayPal's reported 400 million active users worldwide last year, service instability has the potential to affect a substantial segment of the U.S. financial landscape, highlighting the importance of digital infrastructure reliability in today's economy.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Probity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/probity. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

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