DictionaryAI

honest

AH-nist/ˈɑ.nɪst/UKON-ist/ˈɒn.ɪst/

9 meanings of honest

Practice

  1. 1
    frankadjective
    Truthful and frank: not hiding the truth or one's real thoughts and feelings, and showing things as they really are.

    We need an honest assessment of the project's chances.

    Thanks for being honest with me about how you really feel.

    UsageAn honest answer (not incorrect: a honest), since the h is silent; be honest with someone about something.

    Similartruthful, plain

    Oppositeuntruthful

  2. 2
    trustworthyadjective
    Careful to tell the truth and not given to lying, cheating, or fraud; upright.

    The shop owner is so honest that she once drove across town to return a customer's lost wallet.

    He built his reputation by staying honest in every business deal.

    UsageTo compare, usually more honest and most honest: the most honest person I know.

    Similartrustworthy, upright, principled, scrupulous

    Oppositedishonest, deceitful, crooked

    Note

    Truth-telling is the meaning the word grew into, not the one it started with. Middle English honest meant "honorable, appropriate, excellent," from Latin honestus, which comes from honor. Over time it took over the work of Old English sōþfæst, literally "truth-firm."

  3. 3
    adverbcolloquial
    Used to emphasize that a statement is sincere or true; really.

    I had no idea about the party, honest.

    Honest, she never said a word to me about leaving.

    UsageUsually stands alone at the start or end of a statement, set off by a comma: honest, I didn't know.

    Similarreally, truly, seriously

  4. 4
    real and fulladjective
    Authentic and full; genuine, without pretension or stinting.

    The cafe serves honest, hearty fare with no fuss.

    It was an honest pour, the glass filled to the brim.

    UsageUsually before a noun, often food, drink or work: honest food, an honest pint, an honest day's work.

    Similargenuine, unpretentious, generous

    Oppositepretentious, stingy

  5. 5
    good faithadjective
    Made or done in good faith, without malice.

    The referee admitted the call was wrong but insisted it was an honest mistake, not a favor to the home team.

    She made an honest attempt to help, even though it failed.

    UsageMost often with mistakes and tries: an honest mistake, an honest effort, an honest attempt.

    Similarsincere, innocent

    Oppositemalicious

  6. 6
    fairly earnedadjective
    Obtained fairly, whether earned through work or gained by other legitimate means.

    After years of shady deals, he wanted to earn an honest dollar for once.

    She made an honest living selling vegetables at the farmers market.

    UsageUsually in set phrases: make an honest living, earn an honest dollar.

    Similarfair, legitimate, lawful

    Oppositeill-gotten, illicit, illegitimate

Less common meanings

  1. 7
    fittingadjectiveobsolete
    Decent, honorable, and suitable; seemly or becoming to one's station.
    Behold what honest clothes you send forth to bleaching!
    c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”

    Similarhonorable, decent

    Note

    Here the word keeps the sense of honor and fitness it brought from Latin, the origin traced at the truth-telling meaning. Shakespeare's "honest clothes" in The Merry Wives of Windsor are decent, respectable clothes, not truthful ones. In 1624 John Smith's Generall Historie of Virginia spoke of "the honester sort of people," meaning the respectable ones. Read the word this way in early modern texts, but leave it there.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 7 facts

    • The older sense preserves Latin meanings associated with honor and decency. en.wiktionary.org
    • The phrase honest clothes occurs in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. folger.edu
    • Honest in that quotation means decent or respectable. en.wiktionary.org
    • The passage appears in Book 4 of John Smith's Generall Historie, in material drawn from Ralph Hamor. Simons is credited with compiling Book 3; attributing this Book 4 passage to him is erroneous. gutenberg.org
    • The work containing the quotation was first published in 1624. en.wikipedia.org
    • The quoted phrase occurs in the text. gutenberg.org
    • Honester describes greater respectability in this passage. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 8
    adjectiveobsolete
    Chaste, faithful, and virtuous, especially in matters of sexual conduct.
    Wives may be merry, and yet honest too.
    c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”
    Note

    This sense is a trap for modern readers of Shakespeare. When early modern English calls a woman honest, the praise is usually for her chastity or faithfulness, not her truthfulness. "Wives may be merry, and yet honest too," from The Merry Wives of Windsor, means that wives can enjoy themselves and still stay faithful. The sense is obsolete, so it helps with reading older texts but not with describing anyone today.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • In early modern English, calling a woman honest commonly referred to her chastity or marital faithfulness. folger.edu
    • The quotation occurs in The Merry Wives of Windsor; its speaker is Mistress Page, in Act 4, scene 2. rsc.org.uk
    • Honest in this quotation means chaste or faithful, supporting the explanation that enjoyment is compatible with fidelity. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 9
    adornverbobsolete
    To adorn or grace; to make something becoming, appropriate, or honorable.
    You have very much honested my lodging with your presence.
    1609, Ben Jonson, “Epicoene, or The Silent Woman. A Comœdie.”
    Note

    A verb that has died out, built on Latin honestāre, "to clothe or adorn with honor," with French honester as a relative. It was transitive: something honests a person or place, and its past form is honested. Ben Jonson's Epicoene (c. 1609–10) has the line "You have very much honested my lodging with your presence," meaning your visit has done my house honor. Today honor or grace does this work.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

    • The verb is connected with Latin honestāre, meaning to clothe or adorn with honour, and French honester. en.wiktionary.org
    • The verb could take a direct object, including a place. gutenberg.org
    • Honested is the verb's past form. en.wiktionary.org
    • Epicoene is by Ben Jonson and contains the quoted words, spoken by Clerimont to Sir Amorous La-Foole. gutenberg.org
    • The first performance was in December 1609 or January 1610; use c. 1609–10, or date it by its first printing in 1616. hcmc.uvic.ca
    • Honested in the quotation means honoured. hcmc.uvic.ca

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of honest apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This comes from Middle English honest ("honorable, appropriate, excellent"), from Old French honeste, from Latin honestus, which derives from honor. It replaced the native Old English word sōþfæst, literally "truth-firm."

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts