honest

English

Etymology

From Middle English honest, honeste, from Old French honeste, from Latin honestus, from honor. For the verb, see Latin honestāre (“to clothe or adorn with honour”), and compare French honester.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɒnɪst/
  • (RP dated) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːnɪst/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɑnɪst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

honest (comparative honester or more honest, superlative honestest or most honest)

1. (of a person or institution) Scrupulous with regard to telling the truth; not given to swindling, lying, or fraud; upright.

   We’re the most honest people you will ever come across.

   • (Can we date this quote by Sir W. Temple and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     An honest physician leaves his patient when he can contribute no farther to his health.

2. (of a statement) True, especially as far as is known by the person making the statement; fair; unbiased.

   an honest account of events

   honest reporting

3. In good faith; without malice.

   an honest mistake

4. (of a measurement device) Accurate.

   an honest scale

5. Authentic; full.

   an honest day’s work

6. Earned or acquired in a fair manner.

   an honest dollar

7. Open; frank.

   an honest countenance

8. (obsolete) Decent; honourable; suitable; becoming.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Behold what honest clothes you send forth to bleaching!

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

   • 1624, William Simons, “The Gouernment Returned againe to Sir Thomas Gates, 1611”, in John Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: […], London: […] I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Michael Sparkes, →OCLC, book 4; reprinted in The Generall Historie of Virginia, [...] (Bibliotheca Americana), Cleveland, Oh.: The World Publishing Company, 1966, →OCLC, page 111:

     […] Vpon the verge of the Riuer there are fiue houſes, wherein liue the honeſter ſort of people, as Farmers in England, and they keepe continuall centinell for the townes ſecuritie.

   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “[The Fables of Æsop, &c.] Fab[le] CLV. A Shepherd and a Wolves Whelp [Reflexion].”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC, page 6:

     [T]here are Wolf-Whelps in Palaces, and Governments, as well as in Cottages, and Foreſts. […] They go out however, as there is Occaſion, and Hunt and Growle for Company; but at the ſame time, they give the Sign out of their Maſters hand, hold Intelligence with the Enemy; and Make uſe of their Power and Credit to Worry Honeſter Men them Themſelves.

9. (obsolete) Chaste; faithful; virtuous.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Wives may be merry, and yet honest too.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:honest

Antonyms

• dishonest

Derived terms

• honesty
• make an honest woman

Translations

scrupulous with regard to telling the truth

• Arabic: نَزِيه m (nazīh), صَادِق (ṣādiq)
• Armenian: ազնիվ (hy) (azniv)
• Basque: zintzo (eu)
• Belarusian: сумле́нны (sumljénny), праўдзі́вы (praŭdzívy), шчы́ры (ščýry)
• Bulgarian: че́стен (bg) (čésten), и́скрен (bg) (ískren), правди́в (bg) (pravdív)
• Catalan: honest (ca), sincer (ca)
• Cebuano: matinod-anon
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 誠實／诚实 (sing⁴ sat⁶), 老實／老实 (lou⁵ sat⁶), 老实 (lou⁵ sat⁶)

  Mandarin: 誠實／诚实 (zh) (chéngshí), 诚实 (zh) (chéngshí), 正直 (zh) (zhèngzhí), 老實／老实 (zh) (lǎoshí), 老实 (zh) (lǎoshi)

• Czech: poctivý m
• Danish: ærlig (da)
• Dutch: eerlijk (nl)
• Esperanto: honesta
• Estonian: aus (et)
• Faroese: ærligur
• Finnish: rehellinen (fi)
• French: honnête (fr)
• Galician: honesto m
• Georgian: პატიოსანი (ṗaṭiosani)
• German: ehrlich (de), aufrichtig (de)
• Greek: τίμιος (el) (tímios), έντιμος (el) (éntimos)
• Hindi: ईमानदार (hi) (īmāndār), सच्चा (hi) (saccā)
• Hungarian: őszinte (hu), becsületes (hu)
• Hunsrik: eherlich
• Icelandic: heiðarlegur (is), ráðvandur, sómakær, réttsýnn
• Ido: honesta (io)
• Irish: macánta
• Italian: onesto (it) m, onesta (it) f
• Japanese: 正直 (ja) (しょうじき, shōjiki), 誠実 (ja) (せいじつ, seijitsu)
• Javanese: jujur (jv)
• Kazakh: адал (kk) (adal), ақ (kk) (aq)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 정직하다 (ko) (jeongjikhada)
• Lao: ມີຄວາມຊື່ສັດ (mīk wām sư̄ sat)
• Macedonian: искрен (iskren)
• Maltese: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: tapatahi
• Nahuatl: melahuac
• Norman: honnête
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ærlig (no)

  Nynorsk: ærleg

• Persian: صادق (fa) (sâdeq), امین (fa) (amin)
• Polish: uczciwy (pl), szczery (pl)
• Portuguese: honesto (pt), sincero (pt)
• Romanian: cinstit (ro), onest (ro)
• Russian: че́стный (ru) (čéstnyj), и́скренний (ru) (ískrennij), правди́вый (ru) (pravdívyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: ionraic, ceart
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: поштен, честит, искрен

  Roman: pošten (sh), čestit (sh), iskren (sh)

• Slovak: poctivý
• Slovene: pošten (sl), iskren (sl)
• Spanish: honesto (es), sincero (es)
• Swedish: ärlig (sv)
• Tagalog: matapat
• Tajik: бовиҷдон (bovijdon), бошараф (bošaraf)
• Tamil: நேர்மையான (nērmaiyāṉa)
• Thai: ซื่อสัตย์ (th) (sʉ̂ʉ-sàt)
• Turkish: dürüst (tr)
• Ukrainian: че́сний (čésnyj), правди́вий (uk) (pravdývyj), щи́рий (ščýryj)
• Vietnamese: thành thật (vi)
• Volapük: snatik (vo)

of a statement: true, fair, unbiased

• Bulgarian: правди́в (bg) (pravdív)
• Finnish: rehellinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: правди́вый (ru) (pravdívyj)

in good faith, without malice

• Bulgarian: и́скрен (bg) (ískren)
• Finnish: rehellinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: и́скренний (ru) (ískrennij)

of a measurement device: accurate

• Finnish: rehellinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

authentic, full

• Bulgarian: и́стински (bg) (ístinski)
• Finnish: rehellinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: по́длинный (ru) (pódlinnyj), и́стинный (ru) (ístinnyj)

earned or acquired in a fair manner

• Bulgarian: почтен (bg) (počten)
• Finnish: rehellinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: heiðarlega fenginn

Verb

honest (third-person singular simple present honests, present participle honesting, simple past and past participle honested)

1. (obsolete) To adorn or grace; to honour; to make becoming, appropriate, or honourable.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Archbishop Sandys to this entry?)

   • (Can we date this quote by Ben Jonson and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     You have very much honested my lodging with your presence.

Adverb

honest (comparative more honest, superlative most honest)

1. (colloquial) Honestly; really.

   It wasn’t my fault, honest.

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• Heston, Stheno, oneths

---

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin honestus.

Adjective

honest (feminine honesta, masculine plural honests or honestos, feminine plural honestes)

1. upright, decent, honorable

Derived terms

• deshonest
• honestament

Related terms

• honestedat
• honor

Further reading

• “honest” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “honest”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “honest” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “honest” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.