SKIP TO CONTENT

dishonest

/dɪsˈɑnəst/

/dɪsˈɒnɪst/

Someone dishonest is corrupt: a cheater, a liar, or a fraud. Dishonest folks shouldn't be trusted.

If you know that being honest means to tell the truth and be straightforward, then you can probably guess that being dishonest means to tell lies and be crooked. Liars are dishonest. Criminals are dishonest. Some lawyers and politicians have a reputation for being dishonest, as do commercials that will say anything just to get you to spend your money. Besides people, certain actions are dishonest, like forging someone's signature. When you see the word dishonest, think "Untrustworthy!"

Definitions of dishonest
  1. adjective
    deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive
    synonyms: dishonorable
    Janus-faced, ambidextrous, deceitful, double-dealing, double-faced, double-tongued, duplicitous, two-faced
    marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another
    beguiling
    misleading by means of pleasant or alluring methods
    deceitful, fallacious, fraudulent
    intended to deceive
    deceptive, misleading, shoddy
    designed to deceive or mislead
    false
    designed to deceive
    picaresque
    involving clever rogues or adventurers especially as in a type of fiction
    blackguardly, rascally, roguish, scoundrelly
    lacking principles or scruples
    thieving, thievish
    given to thievery
    dishonorable, dishonourable
    lacking honor or integrity; deserving dishonor
    insincere
    lacking sincerity
    corrupt, crooked
    not straight; dishonest or immoral or evasive
    false
    not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality
    untrustworthy, untrusty
    not worthy of trust or belief
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    honest, honorable
    not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
    direct
    straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action
    echt, genuine
    not fake or counterfeit
    downright
    characterized by plain blunt honesty
    honorable, honourable
    worthy of being honored; entitled to honor and respect
    artless, ingenuous
    characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious
    sincere
    open and genuine; not deceitful
    square, straight
    characterized by honesty and fairness
    true
    consistent with fact or reality; not false
    trustworthy, trusty
    worthy of trust or belief
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    capable of being corrupted
    dishonest politicians”
    synonyms: bribable, corruptible, purchasable, venal
    corrupt
    lacking in integrity
Pronunciation
US

/dɪsˈɑnəst/

UK

/dɪsˈɒnɪst/

Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

A paragraph of text

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘dishonest'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Look up dishonest for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer