HONEST: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for HONEST?

Need another word that means the same as “honest”? Find 55 synonyms and 30 related words for “honest” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Honest” are: honorable, good, fair, dependable, reliable, true, truthful, sincere, candid, frank, direct, open, forthright, straight, straightforward, genuine, blunt, outspoken, straight from the shoulder, objective, impartial, unbiased, balanced, unprejudiced, disinterested, just, equitable, upright, honourable, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded, respectable, real, authentic, actual, plain, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, unelaborate, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, no-nonsense, basic, modest, unsophisticated, homely, homespun, everyday, workaday

Honest as an Adjective

Definitions of "Honest" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “honest” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• (of an action) done with good intentions even if unsuccessful or misguided.
• Marked by truth.
• Without pretensions.
• Not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent.
• Gained or earned without cheating or stealing.
• Without dissimulation; frank.
• Fairly earned, especially through hard work.
• Simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated.
• Free of deceit; truthful and sincere.
• Morally correct or virtuous.
• Not forged.
• Worthy of being depended on.

Synonyms of "Honest" as an adjective (55 Words)

actual	Being or existing at the present moment. Actual and imagined conditions.
authentic	Conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief. An authentic signature.
balanced	(of a person or state of mind) having no emotion too strong or too weak; stable. A balanced blend of whiskeys.
basic	Reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality. Basic human rights.
blunt	Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. The blunt tip of the leaf.
candid	Truthful and straightforward; frank. It is better to let the photographer mingle among the guests and take candid shots.
dependable	Financially sound. The most valuable and dependable of America s allies.
direct	Of a current flowing in one direction only. A direct route.
disinterested	Unaffected by self-interest. A banker is under an obligation to give disinterested advice.
equitable	Fair to all parties as dictated by reason and conscience. An equitable distribution of gifts among the children.
ethical	Adhering to ethical and moral principles. Ethical issues in nursing.
everyday	Found in the ordinary course of events. A placid everyday scene.
fair	(of a means or procedure) not violent. They set sail with a fair wind.
forthright	(of a person or their manner or speech) direct and outspoken. His most forthright attack yet on the reforms.
frank	Open, sincere, or undisguised. Kate looked at Sam with frank admiration.
genuine	Being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something G K Chesterton. A genuine dilemma.
good	Possessing or displaying moral virtue. She s not feeling too good.
homely	Simple and unpretentious. Homely fare.
homespun	Simple and unsophisticated. A sweater knitted of nubbly homespun yarns.
honorable	Deserving of esteem and respect. An honorable man.
honourable	Used as a title for certain high officials, the children of certain ranks of the nobility, and MPs. This is the only honourable course.
impartial	Treating all rivals or disputants equally. The impartial eye of a scientist.
just	Of an opinion or appraisal well founded justifiable. These simplistic approaches have been the subject of just criticism.
modest	Not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance. A modest man of the people.
moral	Psychological rather than physical or tangible in effect. Moral philosophers.
no-nonsense	Not tolerating irrelevancies.
objective	Not dependent on the mind for existence; actual. Historians try to be objective and impartial.
open	Of a vowel produced with a relatively wide opening of the mouth and the tongue kept low. Students choice of degree can be kept open until the second year.
outspoken	Given to expressing yourself freely or insistently. Outspoken in their opposition to segregation.
plain	(of written or spoken usage) clearly expressed, without the use of technical or abstruse terms. Made his meaning plain.
principled	(of a person or their behaviour) acting in accordance with morality and showing recognition of right and wrong. A coherent and principled approach.
real	Coinciding with reality F A Olafson. Real property consists of land and buildings.
reliable	Consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted. A reliable source of information.
respectable	Adequate or acceptable in number, size, or amount. A perfectly respectable pair of pyjamas.
right-minded	Disposed toward or having views based on what is right- Bertrand Russell.
righteous	Morally right or justifiable. The prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
sincere	Free from pretence or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings. A painfully sincere young actor.
straight	Simple straightforward. Straight dealing.
straight from the shoulder	Accurately fitted; level.
straightforward	Uncomplicated and easy to do or understand. In a straightforward case no fees will be charged.
true	Of a compass bearing measured relative to true north. I would be true for there are those who trust me.
truthful	Conforming to truth. Gave truthful testimony.
unadorned	Not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction. It was very simple its walls unadorned.
unbiased	Without bias. An unbiased account of her family problems.
undecorated	Not adorned or decorated. The walls were completely undecorated.
unelaborate	Not elaborate; lacking rich or complex detail.
unembellished	Lacking embellishment or ornamentation. The unembellished truth.
unfussy	Not fussy. A simple unfussy design.
unornamented	Lacking embellishment or ornamentation. An unornamented two storey building.
unostentatious	Exhibiting restrained good taste. His unostentatious office.
unprejudiced	Free from undue bias or preconceived opinions. An unprejudiced reading of the New Testament.
unpretentious	(of a place) pleasantly simple and functional; modest. An unpretentious country church.
unsophisticated	Not complicated or highly developed; basic. An unsophisticated young man.
upright	Upright in position or posture. An upright post.
workaday	Not special, unusual, or interesting; ordinary. Your humble workaday PC.

Usage Examples of "Honest" as an adjective

• Good honest food with no gimmicks.
• Good honest food.
• Honest reporting.
• Gave honest answers.
• My honest opinion.
• An honest wage.
• An honest working stiff.
• He's struggling to make an honest living.
• Worked at an honest trade.
• Honest lawyers.
• I did the only right and honest thing.
• He'd made an honest mistake.
• I haven't been totally honest with you.

Associations of "Honest" (30 Words)

bluntly	In a blunt direct manner. He spoke bluntly.
candid	Truthful and straightforward; frank. It is better to let the photographer mingle among the guests and take candid shots.
candor	The quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech.
candour	The quality of being open and honest; frankness. A man of refreshing candour.
directness	The quality of being plain and straightforward. Rivaling a hawk in directness of aim.
downright	Characterized by plain blunt honesty. He was downright rude.
forthrightness	The quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech.
frank	Clearly manifest; evident. Frank enjoyment.
friendliness	A feeling of liking for another person; enjoyment in their company. I was overwhelmed by the friendliness of the people here.
honesty	The quality of being honest. There s a well stocked honesty bar which includes local wine.
ingenuous	Characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious. An ingenuous admission of responsibility.
innocence	The quality of innocent naivete. They must prove their innocence.
integrity	Internal consistency or lack of corruption in electronic data. They admired his scrupulous professional integrity.
naivete	Lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement; naivety. His greatest fault was his political naïvet.
openness	Lack of secrecy or concealment; frankness. The openness of the prairies.
outspoken	Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. It is possible to be outspoken without being rude.
probity	The quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency. In a world where financial probity may not be widespread.
rectitude	Righteousness as a consequence of being honorable and honest. Mattie is a model of rectitude.
righteousness	Adhering to moral principles. We had little doubt about the righteousness of our cause.
sheer	Cause to sheer. She giggled with sheer delight.
sincere	Open and genuine; not deceitful. An entirely sincere and cruel tyrant.
sincerity	The quality of being open and truthful; not deceitful or hypocritical. His sincerity inspired belief.
straightforwardness	Without hypocrisy. What some people take for rudeness is really straightforwardness.
straightness	(of hair) lack of a tendency to curl.
transparency	The quality of being clear and transparent. The transparency of ice.
truthful	(of artistic or literary representation) characterized by accuracy or realism; true to life. Gave truthful testimony.
truthfulness	The fact of being realistic or true to life; realism. The truthfulness of her playing of an ageing American spinster.
unbiased	Without bias. They give clear unbiased advice.
unpretentious	Exhibiting restrained good taste. Her quiet unpretentious demeanor.
veracious	Precisely accurate. A veracious witness.