honest

 
Pronunciation: /ˈɒnɪst/

adjective

  • free of deceit; truthful and sincere: I haven’t been totally honest with you
  • morally correct or virtuous: I did the only right and honest thing
  • [attributive] fairly earned, especially through hard work: he’s struggling to make an honest living
  • (of an action) done with good intentions even if unsuccessful or misguided: he’d made an honest mistake
  • [attributive] simple, unpretentious, and unsophisticated: good honest food with no gimmicks

adverb

informal
  • used to persuade someone of the truth of something: you’ll like it when you get there, honest

Phrases

earn (or turn) an honest penny

earn money fairly.

make an honest woman of

dated or humorous marry a woman, especially to avoid scandal if she is pregnant.
[honest here originally meant 'respectable', but was probably associated with the archaic sense 'chaste']

to be honest

speaking frankly: to be honest, I expected to play worse

Origin:

Middle English (originally in the sense 'held in or deserving of honour'): via Old French from Latin honestus, from honos (see honour)