Word
honesty
Phoneticshon·esty
US/ˈɑnəsti/
UK/ˈɒnɪsti/
In Japanese
honesty; sincerity; fidelity
Japanese from JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0. All sources.
Definitions
01truthfulness
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the quality of being truthful and not lying, stealing, or cheating.
n. the quality or condition of being honest, characterized by truthfulness, integrity, and the absence of deceit.
“I appreciate your honesty about why you were late for the meeting.”
“The candidate's brutal honesty regarding his past failures actually earned him more respect from the board than a polished excuse would have.”
Usage
Uncountable in this sense.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02the plant
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Technical
n. a garden plant with purple flowers and flat, round, silver seed pods.
n. any of various plants in the genus Lunaria, especially Lunaria annua, cultivated for its fragrant flowers and translucent, disc-shaped silicles.
“We dried some honesty from the garden to use as a winter decoration.”
“The silver seed pods of the honesty plant remained on their stalks long after the purple petals had fallen, catching the low autumn light.”
Usage
Countable when referring to the individual plant.
Teaching tip
This is a specialized botanical term; most learners will only encounter the abstract noun for truthfulness.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “honesty” in context.
Verb
01. doubt his honesty
“After he lied about his qualifications, the manager began to doubt his honesty.”
verb + possessive + noun
02. rely on her honesty
“You can always rely on her honesty to give you a fair assessment of the situation.”
verb + prep + possessive + noun
03. value honesty
“Our company culture values honesty and transparency above all else.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. brutal honesty
“I appreciate your brutal honesty, even though the feedback was difficult to hear.”
adj + noun
05. intellectual honesty
“The scientist was praised for the intellectual honesty she showed when admitting her theory was wrong.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. policy of honesty
“The school maintains a strict policy of honesty regarding academic examinations.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
07. in all honesty
“In all honesty, I don't think we have enough time to finish the project by Friday.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“She adds that honesty really matters and you should be truthful about your experience and confident in what you can offer.” “Change begins with honesty … Unless we are blunt about what went wrong, we won’t turn things around.” Etymology
From Middle English honeste (“honour, integrity”), from Old French honesté (compare modern French honnêteté) (honest + -y); the plant, from the visibility of the seeds through the translucent pods. Displaced native Old English sōþfæstnes; and non-native Middle English prodonomee, from Old French prodomie.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944EikenEikenTest in Practical English ProficiencyThe English proficiency test from the Eiken Foundation of Japan, widely taken by Japanese students. Grades run from 5 to 1, with Pre-1 and Pre-2 between them.Pre-1
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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