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
  • The best way Ray can think of to do so is to tail her shady husband, Dom (Bobby Cannavale) — all the way into a sordid (but still vaguely family-friendly) web of deceit, murder, blackmail and gangland drama.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
  • These rosy reveries gradually darken as Wilde remembers succumbing to hedonism, deceit, debt, and disgrace.
    — Hannah Aizenman, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceit
Noun
  • Hosted by Alan Cumming, the social deduction game follows a group of contestants (who are sometimes celebrities) engaging in a Mafia or Werewolf-style game of deception.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • With shifting alliances and deception, only the most calculating player will survive to win it all, per the logline.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 13 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
  • That changed after the 2020 presidential election, when secretaries of state in places such as Arizona, Georgia and Michigan were thrust into battles over election results, certification and false claims of widespread fraud.
    — Thom Reilly, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
  • As Vanity Fair reported at the time, the article led to an all-hands meeting at The Times where some staffers questioned the choice to run a soft profile on a woman who had been convicted of fraud and was about to head to prison.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraud
Noun
  • The perception of cheating would likely cause trust in politics to crater even further.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The league urged the Supreme Court to resolve the split, arguing that conflicting rulings leave oversight unclear and raise concerns about cheating, insider trading, and consumer protection.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheating
Noun
  • 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
  • Rhaenyra also dismisses Mysaria, a wise move carried out in a very unwise manner, given the woman’s cunning.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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