probity

English

Etymology

From Middle French probité, from Latin probitās (“uprightness, honesty”), from probus (“good, excellent, honest”); see probe, prove.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹəʊbɪti/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹoʊbəti/, [-ɾi]
• Hyphenation: prob‧i‧ty

Noun

probity (countable and uncountable, plural probities)

1. Integrity, especially of the quality of having strong moral principles; decency and honesty.

   Synonyms: godliness, goodness, honour, righteousness, saintliness, uprightness, virtue

   Antonym: wickedness

   • 1748, [David Hume], Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     […] they can but bend our hearts to the love of probity and true honour […]

   • 1819 July 31, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “English Writers on America”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number II, New York, N.Y.: […] C. S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 102:

     [W]hen the interests or reputation of their own nation come into collision with those of another, they go to the opposite extreme, and forget their usual probity and candour, in the indulgence of spleen, and an illiberal spirit of ridicule.

   • 2013, Andrew F. Cooper, Jorge Heine, Ramesh Thakur, editors, The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy, OUP Oxford, →ISBN, page 464:

     Distilled to its essence, it is by no means clear that the ‘Cablegate’ disclosures were intended to support freedom of information, transparency, probity in government, or defence of the public interest.

   • 2022 January 13, Ben Quinn, “Queen strips Prince Andrew of military roles and royal patronages”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     The veterans add in their letter, which was partly coordinated by the campaign group Republic: “Officers of the British armed forces must adhere to the very highest standards of probity, honesty and honourable conduct. […]

Related terms

• probe
• prove

Translations

integrity

• Bulgarian: честност (bg) f (čestnost), неподкупност (bg) f (nepodkupnost)
• Dutch: integriteit (nl) f, rechtschapenheid (nl) f, eerlijkheid (nl) f, oprechtheid (nl) f
• Galician: probidade (gl) f
• Georgian: პატიოსნება (ṗaṭiosneba), მოუსყიდაობა (mousq̇idaoba)
• German: Probität f (obsolete), Rechtschaffenheit (de) f
• Latin: probitās f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: redelighet (no) m or f

• Polish: uczciwość (pl) f
• Portuguese: probidade (pt)
• Russian: честность (ru) f (čestnostʹ)
• Spanish: probidad (es) f
• Swedish: redlighet (sv) c, rättskaffenhet (sv) c

Further reading

• “probity”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “probity”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.