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honesty

Pronunciation: /ˈɒnɪsti/

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Definition of honesty

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1the quality of being honest:they spoke with convincing honesty about their fears it was not, in all honesty, an auspicious debut
  • denoting or relating to a way of charging for goods or services which relies on a customer to pay although there is no one to collect their payments:an honesty bar I bought potatoes and tomatoes from the roadside stall, putting £3 in the honesty box
  • 2a European plant with purple or white flowers and round, flat, translucent seed pods which are used for indoor flower arrangements.
    • Genus Lunaria, family Cruciferae

Phrases

honesty is the best policy

proverb there are often practical as well as moral reasons for being honest.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French honeste, from Latin honestas, from honestus (see honest). The original sense was 'honour, respectability', later 'decorum, virtue, chastity'. The plant is so named from its seed pods, translucency symbolizing lack of deceit

honesty in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of honesty in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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