Definition of honest in English:

honest

adjective

  • 1Free of deceit; truthful and sincere.

    ‘I haven't been totally honest with you’
    • ‘In general, focus group discussions consisted of honest, open and frank opinions of what the students thought about the class.’
    • ‘Even unusually honest journalists are not free of faults.’
    • ‘This book contains an emotionally riveting, devastatingly honest, and morally compelling answer.’
    • ‘Hornish also can rely on his father's experience and honest, straightforward opinions.’
    • ‘As a Republican, I sincerely thank you for your honest, open, sincere and thoughtful dialogue.’
    • ‘They both are very direct men, they both are very honest and sincere men and they both are men who don't mince their words.’
    • ‘It is becoming hard to find genuinely honest and readable accounts of football.’
    • ‘Answers are rarely forthcoming that can be said to be totally honest, sincere, and clearly unambiguous.’
    • ‘Len tilted his head and looked at me, looking sincere and honest.’
    • ‘But one feels that the portrayal is honest and sincere (as Pasolini's were, for that matter).’
    • ‘Pedro Almodóvar said recently that he considers himself more honest and sincere and clear in his movies than he is in real life.’
    • ‘Harley shrugged, but then decided to give her his honest, sincere reply.’
    • ‘I could trot out the usual arguments about how free and honest debate ultimately makes a party stronger, but I'm not sure I believe them any more.’
    • ‘In his dealings with parents he was always approachable, sincere and honest.’
    • ‘For a transaction of this magnitude to be successful, all parties involved must be honest, sincere and truthful to one another.’
    • ‘He appeared so sincere, so honest, yet I couldn't hold any sympathy for him.’
    • ‘We would like to thank all the students who gave us honest and sincere information on a broad range of issues in their lives.’
    • ‘As an independent organisation we offer the frank, robust and honest opinions of supporters.’
    • ‘Remember, your compliments must be honest, sincere and genuine.’
    • ‘He encouraged a free press and honest debate in Parliament and welcomed nationwide participation in the political process.’
    • ‘Unfortunately these two characters are unable to take it any further, they can't be intimate or truthful or completely honest and open about their lives.’
    objective, impartial, unbiased, balanced, unprejudiced, disinterested, even-handed, fair, just, equitable
    truthful, sincere, candid, frank, direct, open, forthright, straight, straightforward, genuine, blunt, plain-spoken, plain-speaking, matter-of-fact, outspoken, as straight as a die, straight from the shoulder
    View synonyms
    1. 1.1Morally correct or virtuous.
      ‘I did the only right and honest thing’
      • ‘‘From the beginning we have been asking for fair and honest elections,’ he said.’
      • ‘All but four members of the commission said that the last election was fair and honest.’
      • ‘Candidates are generally good, honest, sincere people who want to make the world a better place.’
      • ‘Paddy was a peaceful, decent, law-abiding and honest citizen.’
      • ‘And why should a person doing an honest day's hard work have to stand in line after hours for a handout in order to eat or pay rent?’
      • ‘References attached to the form described him as ‘reliable, honest and trustworthy’.’
      • ‘He had a reputation of being ‘a reliable, honest and tactful official’.’
      • ‘He was decent, honest, trustworthy, and quite handsome.’
      • ‘But, you also have been seen as ethical, trustworthy and honest.’
      • ‘You need to be educated, hard working and honest.’
      • ‘The successful applicants must be experienced, honest, hard working, efficient and enthusiastic.’
      • ‘The vast majority of postal workers are decent, honest, law-abiding people.’
      • ‘What is forgotten in most of the talk about litter on our streets and indiscriminate dumping is that it is the law-abiding, honest and upright members of the community that have to pay to have it cleaned up.’
      • ‘Poverty is by no means something to be looked down upon, especially when one is earning a living through honest labour.’
      • ‘I believe that only a truly even-handed approach can lead to an honest, morally convincing, and effective human rights policy.’
      • ‘There are many thousands of good, decent, honest, unemployed people who are law-abiding and that never ever broke the law in their lives.’
      • ‘Mick had a life of hard work and honest endeavour.’
      • ‘Eschewing all the modern panoply of medical and technical assistance, Harrison believed in honest hard graft as his road to the top.’
      • ‘However, if the person has shown himself to be reliable, trustworthy, and honest, you can be far more confident that he will keep his word.’
      • ‘Those that know him can attest that he is reliable, trustworthy, and honest.’
      • ‘There is nothing to be feared from honest, free, two-way trade.’
      • ‘I wonder which is the more honest way to earn a living?’
      • ‘They often needed a greater amount of working capital to pay wages or purchase raw materials, which depended on a reputation for trustworthiness and honest dealing.’
      • ‘You're honest, reliable, trustworthy, intelligent, and very handsome as well.’
      • ‘Indeed those elections were neither fair nor honest; they were regimented and tightly controlled.’
    2. 1.2[attributive]Fairly earned, especially through hard work.
      ‘he's struggling to make an honest living’
      • ‘Big oil is not to blame if governments and insurgents refuse to put down the guns and start earning an honest wage.’
      • ‘We are trying to earn an honest dollar.’
      • ‘She was always under the delusion that Edward was earning an honest living in London, and I never had the heart to tell her the truth.’
      • ‘For anyone who stakes his pride on earning an honest day's pay, this economic fall is, unsurprisingly enough, hard to bear.’
      • ‘It is about the inability of the poor people in such situations of social instability and violence to earn an honest day's wage and thus going to bed hungry.’
      • ‘Guru Nanak also taught his Sikhs the great value of earning an honest living.’
      • ‘They are struggling to earn an honest living in this capital, the same as the rest of us.’
      • ‘Like many other Sikh Americans, Amric Singh, wants to earn an honest living while helping his surrounding community.’
      • ‘During this period he is urged to earn an honest living and follow righteousness.’
      • ‘Workers, often women, take risks to earn an honest living.’
      • ‘Practitioners lead normal family lives, work hard for honest pay and aim to behave as good people in all situations and circumstances.’
      • ‘And the woman draws herself up and delivers a stirring dialogue on her right to stay there and earn an honest living.’
      • ‘On this walk I did see moving examples of small-scale entrepreneurs trying to earn an honest living.’
      • ‘These are innocent people just trying to earn an honest living, but who end up the real victims.’
      • ‘Basil's percussion playing is almost a permanent fixture in the mall and he sticks to his task of earning an honest dollar with zeal.’
      • ‘All the refugees on the project's books have one thing in common - a desire to get a job and earn an honest living.’
      • ‘You can tolerate the hawkers for trying to earn an honest living.’
      • ‘He'll just have to earn an honest living when he grows up.’
      • ‘Kelly later claimed that he was constantly provoked by the police and prevented from earning an honest living.’
      • ‘It's a perfect example of how conservative elites are out of touch with the reality of people who do earn an honest living.’
    3. 1.3(of an action) done with good intentions even if unsuccessful or misguided.
      ‘he'd made an honest mistake’
      • ‘He described the episode last summer as ‘an honest mistake.’’
      • ‘But at least it had the benefit of honest if misguided passion.’
      • ‘The Progressive Democrat leader said the proposal was a fair and honest attempt to deal with the issue and she was disappointed it did not receive a broad consensus of support.’
      • ‘The idea that this was an honest mistake, as he now claims, is ridiculous.’
      • ‘Bob's position was an honest attempt to achieve something real.’
      • ‘Unlike my colleagues, I think this was an honest mistake.’
      • ‘The forums were honest, objective attempts to address the facts, and they have succeeded beyond our expectations.’
      • ‘‘The report imposed on the BBC a punishment far out of proportion to its or my mistakes, which were honest ones,’ he said.’
      • ‘I think it was an honest and reasonable mistake for them to make at the time.’
      • ‘Defending, Andrew Stranex suggested that the 13-year-old boy had made an honest mistake over the robber's identity.’
      • ‘In most circumstances, they are honest mistakes made by writers and editors under the pressures of strict deadlines and unrelenting workloads.’
      • ‘It's an honest mistake and an assumption we've all made I'm sure.’
      • ‘Doesn't this show that it might just be an honest mistake?’
      • ‘The play explores children's honest if naive attempts to reconcile conflicts between rules of peer friendship and the expectations of parents.’
      • ‘It's one thing to cheat and one thing to make an honest mistake, especially when everybody watching on TV knew that they had mixed up their score cards.’
      • ‘However, as Justice Young's judgement makes clear, there was much worse than an honest mistake involved in the police decision to search my house.’
      • ‘My flirtation with him was an honest mistake.’
      • ‘I knew at the time that it could not have been an honest mistake but at Shirley's trial that was not the issue.’
      • ‘Sure, it might startle you a bit - it's not something you might have expected - but there's no point in getting your back up over something which is an honest mistake.’
      • ‘For that reason, I do not believe this was an honest mistake.’
    4. 1.4[attributive]Simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated.
      ‘good honest food with no gimmicks’
      • ‘I'm partial to having fish filleted before me, but a good, simple, honest pan of crêpes Suzette is tough to beat.’
      • ‘I love to eat as much as the next guy, but I also love simplicity - honest food that nourishes, that lets ingredients speak for themselves.’
      • ‘It proves that the best food is honest food, made to uncomplicated recipes using the best ingredients.’
      • ‘It is an honest, simple pie, and we extol its simplicities.’
      • ‘It is a humble but honest place, with food more hearty than fancy, and prices appealing to mere mortals and theatrical luminaries alike.’
      • ‘In all the nostalgic celebrations, the impression is inevitably created that blues is some kind of touchstone for a simpler and more honest past: feel-good music for white people.’
      • ‘Central to this lifestyle is authentic and honest food and wine.’
      • ‘That, though, was the only real grumble with a meal which may not win many culinary awards, but which represents good, honest weekday food served in a bustling yet relaxed environment.’
      • ‘It's an honest, decent and unpretentious golf course.’
      • ‘I think his food got a bit poncey at one point but now, at his new place, he is doing my style of food - real honest food at good prices.’
      • ‘It is a simple, delicate, honest piece of work that strikes so many chords it could almost be music itself.’
      • ‘One longs for simpler, more honest fare - something she appears quite capable of producing.’

adverb

informal
  • Used to persuade someone of the truth of something.

    ‘you'll like it when you get there, honest’
    • ‘I've been neglecting my journal but I'm determined to try harder, honest.’

Phrases

  • earn (or turn) an honest penny

    • Earn money fairly.

      • ‘However, it was his proud boast that he was seldom out of work and was prepared to do almost anything that would earn an honest penny.’
      • ‘Shakespeare, Scott, Austen etc were primarily concerned with turning an honest penny, and probably didn't care what the critics thought as long as the public bought the books or theatre tickets.’
      • ‘As a rule they were conducted by enterprising men who were not only anxious to turn an honest penny, but to serve the best interests of the people as well.’
      • ‘They apologised for being out at Christmas; they knew that Whitsun was the proper time, but work was slack and they thought there would be no harm in earning an honest penny.’
      • ‘But she said nothing about Mrs. Moore, and I supposed she'd be the usual bustling country housewife who takes in boarders to earn an honest penny.’
      • ‘In his early years he also sold a variety of articles like accordions, concertinas and mouth-organs, costume accessories and polish - anything indeed which would turn an honest penny.’
      • ‘They are a prime example, having never earned an honest penny in their miserable lives.’
      • ‘I very well could have kept turning an honest penny by teaching Greek philosophy.’
      • ‘The only offer he got was from a fellow-lodger, a young man who earned an honest penny by playing a tin whistle on the streets.’
      • ‘‘I regret that I did not publish them myself and turn an honest penny,’ he complained.’
  • make an honest woman of

    • humorous, dated Marry a woman, especially to avoid scandal if she is pregnant.

      • ‘Paula and Peter grew inseparable, and courted for years, before Peter finally made an honest woman of her.’
      • ‘The only thing to be done now is to make an honest woman of this dear lady.’
      • ‘I hear you're making an honest woman of my sister.’
      • ‘Have you been putting off making an honest woman of your partner?’
      • ‘Well, I think he should make an honest woman of her.’
      • ‘A source close to the couple recently revealed: ‘David's really keen to make an honest woman of Catherine - they've never talked about their relationship in public but they definitely see a long future together.’’
      • ‘He said it was time he made an honest woman of Joanna.’
      • ‘Alex is attempting to make an honest woman out of me.’
      • ‘When asked why he'd taken so long to make an honest woman of his girlfriend, Ron joked that he ‘hadn't had enough time to ask her.’’
      • ‘I'll just say Freddie has finally made an honest woman of Sally.’
      • ‘We've discussed this for ages, but, now, finally, Robert is going to make an honest woman of me!’
      be married to, get married to, marry, be wed to, take as one's husband, take as one's wife, lead to the altar
      View synonyms
  • to be honest

    • Speaking frankly.

      ‘to be honest, I expected to play worse’
      • ‘Now I notice that every other car in the car park is silver and, to be honest, I hate the colour.’
      • ‘It was always good fun and, to be honest, felt more like a party game than anything difficult.’
      • ‘To be honest, it was hard for me to understand why people wanted me to hold the exhibition.’
      • ‘I'd never been in one before, and to be honest, I didn't have a clue what you were meant to do.’
      • ‘I get involved in spite of myself and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.’
      • ‘To say I broke my foot playing football is, to be honest, stretching the truth somewhat.’
      • ‘I was not on my best form and, to be honest, all that really interested me was the prospect of food.’
      • ‘I could do with saving the money that I would have spent on the train fare, to be honest.’
      • ‘It could've been a lot better, to be honest, but it was easily the most interesting thing on the box.’
      • ‘‘To be honest I had forgotten all about it,’ said Mr Pedley.’
      • ‘We all had big plans but, to be honest, how many people know what they want to be when they are 15?’
      • ‘I never really thought it would happen and, to be honest, I still don't think it will.’
      • ‘It's about an hour after the game and I'm still in a state of shock, to be honest.’
      • ‘‘To be honest it was all just about money,’ he said.’
      truthfully, really, truly, actually, to be honest, to tell you the truth, to be frank, speaking truthfully, speaking frankly, in all honesty, in all sincerity, in plain language, in plain english
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Origin

Middle English (originally in the sense ‘held in or deserving of honour’): via Old French from Latin honestus, from honos (see honour).

Pronunciation:

honest

/ˈɒnɪst/