dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.
a swindle usually involves two dishonest people
deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing.
the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse
mendacious may suggest bland or even harmlessly mischievous deceit and when used of people often suggests a habit of telling untruths.
mendacious tales of adventure
untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.
an untruthful account of their actions
Examples of dishonest in a Sentence
She gave dishonest answers to our questions.
I think he is being dishonest about how much he knows
Recent Examples on the WebHis campaign to become Labour leader was systemically dishonest.—Luke McGee, CNN, 5 July 2024 The movie tells the story of a teenager who loves in-line skating with his friends, but is lured to the cruel and dishonest Team X-Bladz to make money for his struggling family.—Ew Staff, EW.com, 1 July 2024 Search for the owner’s name and the property address and watch for any dishonest behavior or bad reviews.—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2024 For more than two years, she’s been deprived of that outlet, while her fans have been deprived of their power-goddess, left only with an obscure-sounding diagnosis, after a series of dishonest excuses — from technical difficulties to throat and sinus infections — that now seem reasonable.—Peter Debruge, Variety, 18 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for dishonest
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dishonest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French deshoneste, from des- dis- + honeste honest
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