Meanings
plural dishonesties
- uncountableusuallyThe characteristic or condition of being dishonest.
He added: "We've always had spin, especially from Government. But this is not spin. This is dishonesty and so it's our rail media's urgent responsibility to call it out because non-specialist journalists across the country will report this and gradually these untruths will be accepted.
2022 January 26, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Government's IRP claims condemned as "dishonest"”, in RAIL, number 949, page 7 - countableusuallyAn act which is fraudulent or otherwise dishonest.
- obsoleteuncountableusuallyShamefulness, disgrace.
His dishonesty appears in leaving his friend here in necessity and denying him.
c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]
Synonyms & antonyms
nounlack of honesty; acts of lying or cheating or stealing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchdeshoneste
- Middle Englishdishoneste“disgrace, filth”
- Englishdishonesty
From Middle English dishoneste (“disgrace, filth”), from Old French deshoneste, equivalent to dis- + honesty or dishonest + -y.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нечестност, непочтеност
- нечестност (nečestnost)characteristic or condition of being dishonest
- непочтеност (nepočtenost)characteristic or condition of being dishonest
- измама (izmama)an act which is fraudulent or dishonest
- мошеничество (mošeničestvo)an act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Catalan deshonestedat
- deshonestedatcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
Czech nepoctivost
- nepoctivostcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
Dutch oneerlijkheid
- oneerlijkheidcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
Finnish epärehellisyys, vilpillisyys
- epärehellisyyscharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- vilpillisyyscharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- epärehellisyysan act which is fraudulent or dishonest
- vilpillisyysan act which is fraudulent or dishonest
French malhonnêteté
- malhonnêtetécharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
German Unehrlichkeit
- Unehrlichkeitcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
Hindi बेईमानी
- बेईमानी (beīmānī)characteristic or condition of being dishonest
Hungarian tisztességtelenség
- tisztességtelenségan act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Irish caimiléireacht, ainionracas
- caimiléireachtcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- ainionracascharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- caimecharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- camastaílcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- éigneastachtcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- eisionracascharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- míchneastachtcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- mí-ionracascharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- mímhacántachtcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
Italian disonestà
- disonestàcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
Latin fraudulentia, perfidia
- fraudulentiacharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- perfidiacharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
Māori whakapōhēhē, whakapōhēhētanga
- whakapōhēhēcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- whakapōhēhētangacharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- whakapōhēhēan act which is fraudulent or dishonest
- whakapōhēhētangaan act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Polish nieuczciwość, nieszczerość
- nieuczciwośćcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- nieszczerośćcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- brak szczerościcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- nieuczciwośćan act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Portuguese desonestidade, desonestidade
- desonestidadecharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- desonestidadean act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Russian нече́стность, бесче́стность
- нече́стность (nečéstnostʹ)characteristic or condition of being dishonest
- бесче́стность (besčéstnostʹ)characteristic or condition of being dishonest
- обма́н (obmán)an act which is fraudulent or dishonest
- моше́нничество (mošénničestvo)an act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Swedish oärlighet, oärlighet
- oärlighetcharacteristic or condition of being dishonest
- oärlighetan act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Ukrainian несумлінність, нечесність
- несумлінність (nesumlinnistʹ)characteristic or condition of being dishonest
- нечесність (nečesnistʹ)characteristic or condition of being dishonest
- обман (obman)an act which is fraudulent or dishonest
Cite this entry
dishonesty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dishonesty
“dishonesty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dishonesty. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dishonesty,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dishonesty.
Source: dishonesty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.