Honesty

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Honesty

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

ON-iss-tee  /ˈɒnɪsti/

Definition

The quality of being truthful, sincere, and free from deception or fraud; the practice of representing facts and one's own thoughts accurately; integrity in word and action; the condition of being honest. Also: a garden plant (Lunaria annua) with silvery translucent seed pods.

Plain meaning

Honesty is the quality of being truthful and straightforward — not deceiving people, not hiding things, saying what you really think and mean. Honest people tell the truth even when it is difficult. Honesty is generally considered one of the most fundamental moral virtues.

Register

Neutral to elevated. Honesty is a fundamental moral virtue word, used in everyday speech, philosophy, law, and professional ethics. It carries strong positive associations. In psychological and philosophical literature, honesty has been analysed as comprising multiple components: truthfulness (saying what you believe to be true), sincerity (not attempting to create false impressions through technically true statements), forthrightness (proactively sharing relevant information), and non-deception (not using misleading implicature).