# dishonest

/dɪˈsɑnəst/ (US) · /dɪsˈɒnɪst/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dishonest
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. deceitful or untruthful

adjective · CEFR B1

not honest; likely to lie, cheat, or steal to get what you want.

For teachers: behaving in a deceitful or untrustworthy manner; lacking integrity in speech or action.

- It was dishonest of him to take credit for work he didn't do.
- The investigation revealed that the company had been using dishonest accounting practices to hide its mounting debts from investors.

### 2. intended to deceive

adjective · CEFR B2

describes something, like a statement or a plan, that is meant to trick people.

For teachers: intended to mislead or deceive; fraudulent in nature or purpose.

- The advertisement was dishonest because it didn't mention the extra costs.
- The politician's dishonest response to the scandal only served to further erode the public's trust in the administration.

## Examples

- It is dishonest to take credit for someone else's work.
- The company faced a massive lawsuit after investigators discovered they had provided dishonest information about their profits.
- While the politician avoided direct lies, his selective use of statistics was widely criticised as a dishonest attempt to manipulate public opinion before the election.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.