dishonesty

noun

(ˌ)dis-ˈä-nə-stē How to pronounce dishonesty (audio)
Definition of dishonestynext
1
as in deceit
the tendency to tell lies if you gain a reputation for dishonesty, no one will believe you even when you're telling the truth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery a religious cult that recruits members through dishonesty and subterfuge

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dishonesty Good ex-etiquette is about refusing to let someone else’s dishonesty determine your character or your choices. — Jann Blackstone, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026 No interest in the contradictions, the hypocrisy, the inappropriate media friendships, the dishonesty about lockdowns, the lab leak, or masks. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 Michael seemed to be saying that by admitting her dishonesty, Ethel would have ruined their childhood and poisoned any prospect of a future relationship with her. — Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026 Sooknanan also became the subject of a bar complaint filed last week by the watchdog group Democracy Restored, which accused the judge of dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice during her tenure as a senior DOJ official. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dishonesty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dishonesty
  1. deceit
  2. deception
  3. deceitfulness
  4. deceptiveness
  5. fraud
  6. cheating
  7. cunning
Noun
  • Fielder is an unusual figure to helm a documentary about truth and deceit.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026
  • These types of harms could include defamation, bias, deceit and social engineering and much more.
    — Anat Lior, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceit
Noun
  • The investigation also found that men from 29 countries were recruited through deception or coercion to fight for Russian forces, in violation of international law.
    — Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But the movie’s most disturbing sequence takes the deception a lot further.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • Antisocial personality includes a persistent pattern of traits such as callousness, lack of concern, deceitfulness, and irresponsibility, Ryan said.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Perfidy — from the French perfidie via the Latin perfidia — means deceitfulness, treachery or a breach of faith or promise.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of deceitfulness
Noun
  • Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Beyond the deceptiveness of the narrow material view, spiritual light and hope are always present to be found and felt.
    — Sue Brightman, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of deceptiveness
Noun
  • Walter also is a defendant in multiple civil lawsuits filed by investors alleging fraud and breach of contract.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Your phone could become part of a botnet The advertising fraud is only part of the story.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • The findings followed scrutiny of a Washington Post column criticizing AI cheating, as colleges nationwide confront how the technology is changing teaching and writing.
    — Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The risks are already visible in models that deploy agents capable of evading their guardrails, escaping their sandboxes, cheating to obtain their goals, and covering their tracks to conceal the cheating.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheating
Noun
  • Lethally charming and a natural chameleon, Conal uses social cunning and ruthlessness to get the job done and always gets a thrill out of completing a mission.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Since the second Inauguration, the Trumps and their satraps have operated with all the commercial cunning of the Corleone family; the White House is their front, their Genco Pura Olive Oil Company.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of cunning

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Cite this Entry

“Dishonesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dishonesty. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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