Adjacent Words

Honest definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HON'EST, a. on'est. [L. honestus, from honos, honor.]
1. Upright; just; fair in dealing with others; free from trickishness and fraud; acting and having the disposition to act at all times according to justice or correct moral principles; applied to persons.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
An honest physician leaves his patient, when he can contribute no farther to his health.
2. Fair; just; equitable; free from fraud; as an honest transaction; an honest transfer of property.
3. Frank; sincere; unreserved; according to truth; as an honest confession.
4. Sincere; proceeding from pure or just principles, or directed to a good object; as an honest inquiry after truth; an honest endeavor; honest views or motives.
5. Fair; good; unimpeached.
Seek seven men of honest report. Acts 6.
6. Decent; honorable; or suitable.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men. Romans 12.
7. Chaste; faithful.
Wives may be merry, and yet honest too.
HON'EST, v.t. on'est. To adorn; to grace. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent; "honest lawyers"; "honest reporting" [syn: honest, honorable] [ant: dishonest, dishonorable]
2: without dissimulation; frank; "my honest opinion"
3: worthy of being depended on; "a dependable worker"; "an honest working stiff"; "a reliable sourcSFLe of information"; "he was true to his word"; "I would be true for there are those who trust me" [syn: dependable, honest, reliable, true]
4: without pretensions; "worked at an honest trade"; "good honest food"
5: marked by truth; "gave honest answers"; "honest reporting"
6: not forged; "a good dollar bill" [syn: good, honest]
7: gained or earned without cheating or stealing; "an honest wage"; "an fair penny" [syn: honest, fair]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin honestus honorable, from honos, honor honor Date: 14th century 1. a. free from fraud or deception ; legitimate, truthful <an honest plea> b. genuine, real <making honest stops at stop signs — Christian Science Monitor> c. humble, plain <good honest food> 2. a. reputable, respectable <honest decent people> b. chiefly British good, worthy 3. creditable, praiseworthy <an honest day's work> 4. a. marked by integrity b. marked by free, forthright, and sincere expression ; frank <an honest appraisal> c. innocent, simple Synonyms: see upright II. adverb Date: 1596 1. in an honest manner ; honestly <I have ever found thee honest true — Shakespeare> 2. with all sincerity <I didn't do it, honest>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & adv. --adj. 1 fair and just in character or behaviour, not cheating or stealing. 2 free of deceit and untruthfulness, sincere. 3 fairly earned (an honest living). 4 (of an act or feeling) showing fairness. 5 (with patronizing effect) blameless but undistinguished (cf. WORTHY). 6 (of a thing) unadulterated, unsophisticated. --adv. colloq. genuinely, really. Phrases and idioms: earn (or turn) an honest penny earn money fairly. honest broker a mediator in international, industrial, etc., disputes (orig. of Bismarck). honest Injun colloq. genuinely, really. honest-to-God (or -goodness) colloq. adj. genuine, real. --adv. genuinely, really. make an honest woman of colloq. marry (esp. a pregnant woman). Etymology: ME f. OF (h)oneste f. L honestus f. honos HONOUR

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Honest Hon"est, v. t. [L. honestare to clothe or adorn with honor: cf. F. honester. See Honest, a.] To adorn; to grace; to honor; to make becoming, appropriate, or honorable. [Obs.] --Abp. Sandys.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Honest Hon"est, a. [OE. honest, onest, OF. honeste, oneste, F. honn[^e]te, L. honestus, fr. honos, honor, honor. See Honor.] 1. Decent; honorable; suitable; becoming. --Chaucer. Belong what honest clothes you send forth to bleaching! --Shak. 2. Characterized by integrity or fairness and straight?forwardness in conduct, thought, speech, etc.; upright; just; equitable; trustworthy; truthful; sincere; free from fraud, guile, or duplicity; not false; -- said of persons and acts, and of things to which a moral quality is imputed; as, an honest judge or merchant; an honest statement; an honest bargain; an honest business; an honest book; an honest confession. An honest man's the noblest work of God. --Pope. An honest physician leaves his patient when he can contribute no farther to his health. --Sir W. Temple. Look ye out among you seven men of honest report. --Acts vi. 3. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. --Rom. xii. 17. 3. Open; frank; as, an honest countenance. 4. Chaste; faithful; virtuous. Wives may be merry, and yet honest too. --Shak. Syn: Upright; ingenuous; honorable; trusty; faithful; equitable; fair; just; rightful; sincere; frank; candid; genuine.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you describe someone as honest, you mean that they always tell the truth, and do not try to deceive people or break the law. I know she's honest and reliable. ADJ • honestly She fought honestly for a just cause and for freedom. ADV: ADV after v 2. If you are honest in a particular situation, you tell the complete truth or give your sincere opinion, even if this is not very pleasant. I was honest about what I was doing... He had been honest with her and she had tricked him!... = frank ADJ • honestly It came as a shock to hear an old friend speak so honestly about Ted. = frankly ADV: ADV with v 3. You say 'honest' before or after a statement to emphasize that you are telling the truth and that you want people to believe you. (INFORMAL) I'm not sure, honest. ADV: ADV with cl [emphasis] 4. Some people say 'honest to God' to emphasize their feelings or to emphasize that something is really true. (INFORMAL) I wish we weren't doing this, Lillian, honest to God, I really do... PHRASE: PHR with cl, PHR n [emphasis] 5. You can say 'to be honest' before or after a statement to indicate that you are telling the truth about your own opinions or feelings, especially if you think these will disappoint the person you are talking to. To be honest the house is not quite our style... PHRASE: PHR with cl [feelings]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Honorable, fair, straightforward, equitable, open, free from fraud, faithful to contract, according to agreement, just as represented. 2. Upright, virtuous, conscientious, just, true, fair, faithful, reliable, trusty, trustworthy, observant of obligations, that stands by one's word, as good as one's word. 3. Genuine, free from shams, thorough, faithful. 4. Decent, honorable, reputable, respectable, creditable, suitable, proper. 5. Decent, chaste, virtuous, faithful. 6. Sincere, candid, frank, unreserved, ingenuous.

Moby Thesaurus

Christian, angelic, authentic, blameless, bona fide, candid, card-carrying, clean, conscientious, creditable, decent, dependable, dinkum, direct, dispassionate, equitable, erect, estimable, ethical, explicit, fair, following the letter, forthright, frank, full of integrity, genuine, godly, good, high-minded, high-principled, highly respectable, honest-to-God, honorable, immaculate, inartificial, incorruptible, ingenuous, inviolate, irreproachable, just, law-abiding, law-loving, law-revering, lawful, legitimate, lifelike, literal, manly, moral, native, natural, naturalistic, noble, objective, on the level, open, original, plain, plain-spoken, principled, proper, pure, real, realistic, reliable, reputable, respectable, right, right-minded, righteous, rightful, saintlike, saintly, scrupulous, seraphic, simon-pure, simple, sincere, sound, spotless, square, square-dealing, square-shooting, stainless, sterling, straight, straightforward, sure-enough, true, true to life, true to nature, true to reality, true-dealing, true-devoted, true-disposing, true-souled, true-spirited, truehearted, trustworthy, trusty, truthful, unadulterated, unaffected, unambiguous, unartificial, unassumed, unassuming, unblemished, uncolored, unconcocted, unconstrained, uncopied, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, uncounterfeited, undefiled, undesigning, undisguised, undisguising, undissembled, undistorted, unequivocal, unexaggerated, unfabricated, unfanciful, unfeigned, unfeigning, unfictitious, unflattering, unimagined, unimitated, unimpeachable, uninhibited, uninvented, unpretended, unpretending, unpretentious, unqualified, unreserved, unrestrained, unromantic, unsimulated, unspecious, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, unsynthetic, untarnished, unvarnished, upright, uprighteous, upstanding, valid, veracious, verbal, verbatim, veridical, verisimilar, virtuous, word-for-word, worthy, yeomanly