Honest
adjectiveTruthful and sincere; not lying, cheating, or stealing.
How to spell honest
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce honest
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does honest mean?
- adjectiveTruthful and sincere; not lying, cheating, or stealing.
Honest in a sentence
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I'll be honest with you.
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To be honest, I'd rather stay in tonight.
Where does honest come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word comes from the Latin honestus, meaning 'honourable', 'respectable', or 'worthy of esteem', which was built on honos (later honor), the Latin word for honour or public regard. Originally the term described someone held in high social standing or treated with dignity, and only later did the emphasis shift toward truthfulness and fair dealing. English borrowed it through Old French oneste during the 1200s, and the spelling was eventually pulled back toward the Latin form by the addition of the silent 'h'. That silent 'h' is the chief spelling trap, since the word is pronounced as if it began with a vowel, exactly as in the related noun 'honour'. The same honos root still lives on in 'honour', 'honorary', and 'honourable', all of which keep that quietly unpronounced h.
How the word is built
- hon- (from Latin honor: honour, esteem)
- -est (from Latin -estus, adjective suffix)
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