Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The quality or condition of being honest; integrity.
  • noun Truthfulness; sincerity.
  • noun Archaic Chastity.
  • noun Botany A Eurasian plant (Lunaria annua) in the mustard family, cultivated for its fragrant purplish flowers and round, flat, papery, silver-white seedpods.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The character or quality of being honest or honorable; upright disposition or conduct; sincerity; honor; virtue.
  • noun Specifically— Chastity; virtuous reputation; honor.
  • noun The virtue of respecting the property rights of others; the absence of any disposition to cheat, steal, or lie.
  • noun Decency; good manners.
  • noun Liberality.
  • noun Credit; reputation.
  • noun In botany, a name of several plants, especially of a small cruciferous plant, Lunaria annua (L. biennis): so called from the transparency of its dissepiments. The perennial honesty is L. rediviva; the maiden's-honesty is Clematis Vitalba.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Honor; honorableness; dignity; propriety; suitableness; decency.
  • noun The quality or state of being honest; probity; fairness and straightforwardness of conduct, speech, etc.; integrity; sincerity; truthfulness; freedom from fraud or guile.
  • noun Chastity; modesty.
  • noun (Bot.) Satin flower; the name of two cruciferous herbs having large flat pods, the round shining partitions of which are more beautiful than the blossom; -- called also lunary and moonwort. Lunaria biennis is common honesty; Lunaria rediva is perennial honesty.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The act, quality, or condition of being honest; to be truthful
  • noun Any of various crucifers in the genus Lunaria, several of which are grown as ornamentals.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun southeastern European plant cultivated for its fragrant purplish flowers and round flat papery silver-white seedpods that are used for indoor decoration
  • noun the quality of being honest

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French honesté (French: honnêteté) (honest + -y).

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Examples

  • I believe in honesty is the best policy, not fake sniper fire.

    Schneider: More sobering news - the value gap 2008

  • Michigan CHEATED DNC rules on January 15, 2008, and all of the major candidates removed their names in honesty from the competition, except Tonya Harding, I mean Hillary Clinton.

    Full Michigan delegation with half-vote to be seated by Dems 2008

  • The most optimistic prospect I can offer in honesty is that Canada could have a brilliant economic future, but only if it accepts the disciplines of harsh reality and takes the steps necessary in the near term to restore reasonable balance to its economic system.

    The Real Dimensions of Canada's Contemporary Political Economy 1981

  • Your honesty is a gift and an example for every mother.

    Deep Into The Darkness | Her Bad Mother 2008

  • And Linda, your honesty is an admirable quality and one that I rely on.

    Five Questions L. Lee Lowe 2006

  • That's what I call honesty and excellence in service.

    Orangeville 2008

  • This kind of honesty is unheard of … well almost anywhere these days, but certainly in business, and I for one appreciate the hell out it.

    #36. Tell Me Why « 1979 Semi-Finalist… 2007

  • And as we see it in experience, that dogs do always bark at those they know not, and that it is their nature to accompany one another in those clamors: so it is with the inconsiderate multitude; who wanting that virtue which we call honesty in all men, and that especial gift of God which we call charity in Christian men, condemn without hearing, and wound without offence given: led thereunto by uncertain report only; which his Majesty truly acknowledged for the author of all lies.

    Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books with Introductions, Notes and Illustrations Edmund Spenser 1730

  • Leave an honest, informative review – Of course, we all love good reviews, but honesty is the most important.

    2010 May « 2010

  • Leave an honest, informative review – Of course, we all love good reviews, but honesty is the most important.

    supporting your writers! « 2010

Comments

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  • I wonder if it is symptomatic of our cynical age that so few people list this word?

    June 23, 2007

  • Interesting question, SoG. Now I must check out integrity too.

    June 23, 2007

  • "The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made."

    - Groucho Marx.

    Blame dad, SoG!

    December 24, 2007

  • The name by which I know the plant lunaria.

    January 4, 2008