Thesaurus
honest
adjective
Synonyms and Antonyms of HONEST
1
being in the habit of telling the truth <at least the weatherman is honest and doesn't pretend to be able to predict the unpredictable>
Related Words candid, direct, forthcoming, forthright, foursquare, frank, freehearted, free-spoken, open, openhearted, out-front, outspoken, plain, plainspoken; believable, credible, true, veritable; artless, earnest, genuine, guileless, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious; conscientious, moral, principled, scrupulous; aboveboard, dependable, reliable, trustable, trustworthy, trusty
Near Antonyms fallacious, false, untrue; unbelievable, undependable, unreliable, unscrupulous, untrustworthy; bluffing, dissembling, dissimulating, duplicitous, equivocating, hypocritical, insincere, posing, pretending; artful, deceitful, deceptive, devious, evasive, slick, slippery, sly, sneaky, treacherous, tricky, underhanded, wily
2
conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue <honest and industrious farm folk>
Synonyms all right, decent, ethical, honest, honorable, just, moral, nice, right, righteous, right-minded, straight, true, upright, virtuous
Related Words correct, decorous, proper, seemly; high-minded, noble, principled; commendable, creditable, exemplary, legitimate; esteemed, law-abiding, menschy, reputable, respected, upstanding, worthy; blameless, clean, guiltless, immaculate, incorrupt (also incorrupted), incorruptible, innocent, inoffensive, irreproachable, unobjectionable; angelic (or angelical), lily-white, pure, scrupulous, spotless, uncorrupted, unerring; goody-goody, moralistic, pharisaical, rectitudinous, sanctimonious, self-righteous
Near Antonyms improper, incorrect, indecorous, naughty, unbecoming, unseemly; corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, libertine, perverted, reprobate; unprincipled, unscrupulous; atrocious, infamous, villainous; base, low, mean, vicious, vile; blameworthy, objectionable, offensive; iniquitous, nefarious; errant, erring, fallen
Antonyms bad, black, dishonest, dishonorable, evil, evil-minded, immoral, indecent, sinful, unethical, unrighteous, wicked, wrong
3
following the accepted rules of moral conduct <that rare, honest customer who doesn't hesitate to tell the cashier she's given him too much change>
Synonyms decent, ethical, honest, just, noble, principled, respectable, righteous, stand-up, upright, upstanding
Related Words blameless, guiltless, irreproachable, unassailable, unimpeachable; chivalrous, classy, high-minded, menschy, right-minded; conscientious, fair, good, incorruptible, moral, reputable, respected, scrupulous, uncorrupted, virtuous; decorous, nice, polite, proper, seemly
Near Antonyms bad, blackguardly, corrupt, criminal, crooked, evil, immoral, iniquitous, knavish, mean, nefarious, rascally, reprehensible, roguish, rotten, scoundrelly, sinful; unfair, unscrupulous, vile, villainous, wicked, wretched; blamable, blameworthy, censurable, culpable; debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, disgraceful, disreputable, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, loose, perverse, perverted, profligate, reprobate, shameful, venal
Antonyms base, dishonest, dishonorable, ignoble, low, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unworthy
4
free from any intent to deceive or impress others <the sort of person who helps others from an honest desire to do good, and not because she might need a favor from them someday>
Synonyms artless, genuine, honest, ingenuous, innocent, naive (or naïve), natural, real, simple, sincere, true, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious
Related Words childlike, dewy-eyed, gee-whiz, impressionable, inexperienced, malleable, persuadable, persuasible, simpleminded, unsophisticated, unworldly, wide-eyed; spontaneous, unforced, unstudied; candid, direct, frank, free, free-spoken, open, openhearted, plain, plainspoken, single-minded, straight, straightforward, unguarded; trustful, trusting; exploitable, gullible (also gullable), susceptible, unwary
Near Antonyms critical, cynical, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, wary; cosmopolitan, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise; civilized, cultivated, cultured, polished, refined; crooked, deceitful, deceptive, devious, double-dealing, hypocritical, manipulative, two-faced; arch, calculating, canny, crafty, cunning, designing, foxy, knavish, scheming, sharp, shifty, shrewd, slick, slippery, sly, subtle, tricky, underhanded, wily; flattering, mealymouthed, smooth, sycophantic, unctuous; feigned, forced, strained
Antonyms affected, artful, artificial, assuming, dishonest, dissembling, dissimulating, fake, false, guileful, insincere, phony (also phoney), pretentious
5
free in expressing one's true feelings and opinions <appreciate your honest friends, who tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear>
Synonyms candid, direct, forthcoming, forthright, foursquare, freehearted, free-spoken, honest, open, openhearted, out-front, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, straight, straightforward, unguarded, unreserved, up-front
Related Words artless, earnest, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive (or naïve), natural, real, sincere, unaffected, undesigning, unpretending, unpretentious; outgoing, uninhibited, unrestrained; vocal, vociferous; abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque (also brusk), crusty, curt, gruff, sharp; impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, rude, tactless, thoughtless, uncivil, undiplomatic, ungracious, unmannerly, unsubtle
Near Antonyms inhibited, reserved, restrained; close-mouthed, laconic, quiet, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative; ambiguous, circuitous, equivocal, evasive; diplomatic, politic, tactful; civil, considerate, courteous, polite
6
guided by or in accordance with one's sense of right and wrong <made an honest attempt to return the money she had found in the cafeteria>
Related Words decent, good, righteous, right-minded, straight, upright, virtuous; dutiful, observant, respectful; overconscientious; reliable, responsible, solid, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trusty; esteemed, law-abiding, reputable, respected, upstanding, worthy
Near Antonyms bad, black, evil, evil-minded, immoral, indecent, sinful, unrighteous, wicked; unreliable, untrustworthy; corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, perverted, reprobate; atrocious, infamous, villainous; base, low, mean, vicious, vile; iniquitous, nefarious
Antonyms cutthroat, dishonest, dishonorable, immoral, unconscionable, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unscrupulous
7
being exactly as appears or as claimed <a restaurant serving honest down-home Southern cooking>
Synonyms bona fide, certifiable, certified, dinkum [Australian & New Zealand], echt, genuine, honest, pukka (also pucka), real, right, sure-enough, true
Related Words actual, historical, original; lawful, legal, legitimate; identifiable, recognizable, verifiable; proven, substantiated, validated, verified; incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, irrefutable, undeniable, undoubted, unmistakable, unquestionable; veritable, very; accurate, correct, proper; pure, unadulterated, unalloyed
Near Antonyms artificial, factitious, imitation, man-made, simulated, synthetic, unnatural; concocted, fabricated, manufactured; deceptive, delusive, delusory, misleading
Antonyms bogus, counterfeit, fake, false, mock, phony (also phoney), pseudo, sham, spurious, suppositious, supposititious, unauthentic, unreal
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