honest-to-goodness
adjective
chiefly US, informal
: not fake, false, or artificial : real
He is an honest-to-goodness legend.
an honest-to-goodness movie star
Examples of honest-to-goodness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Shifting the center differential between high and low and locking it was done via an honest-to-goodness shifter, too.
—
Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In Greater Cincinnati, our honest-to-goodness gems range from a battered sandwich shop in Norwood to a classy but oft-overlooked cocktail lounge downtown.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2026
The 65-game requirement added to the 2023 collective bargaining agreement came as a response to load management, but actual, honest-to-goodness injuries threaten to make a mockery of it by leaving several of the league’s best players just a few games short of the threshold.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
But Empire, the gold standard of a sequel that surpasses its predecessor, turns a potential franchise into an honest-to-goodness saga.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Jan. 2026
There’s a particular poignance to Manousos giving this speech — an honest-to-goodness monologue by his standards — at the Darién Gap, amid the detritus of migrants who have shed their belongings to take this path from South to Central America.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
First, China has taken honest-to-goodness action on fentanyl.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
In spring, Waukegan’s ravines are filled with flowing water and after recent heavy rains a swollen Waukegan River looks, well, like an honest-to-goodness river.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
The show hadn’t yet really showcased any real, honest-to-goodness rock.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2025
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Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In Greater Cincinnati, our honest-to-goodness gems range from a battered sandwich shop in Norwood to a classy but oft-overlooked cocktail lounge downtown.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Jan. 2026
The 65-game requirement added to the 2023 collective bargaining agreement came as a response to load management, but actual, honest-to-goodness injuries threaten to make a mockery of it by leaving several of the league’s best players just a few games short of the threshold.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
But Empire, the gold standard of a sequel that surpasses its predecessor, turns a potential franchise into an honest-to-goodness saga.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Jan. 2026
There’s a particular poignance to Manousos giving this speech — an honest-to-goodness monologue by his standards — at the Darién Gap, amid the detritus of migrants who have shed their belongings to take this path from South to Central America.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
First, China has taken honest-to-goodness action on fentanyl.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
In spring, Waukegan’s ravines are filled with flowing water and after recent heavy rains a swollen Waukegan River looks, well, like an honest-to-goodness river.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
The show hadn’t yet really showcased any real, honest-to-goodness rock.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Honest-to-goodness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honest-to-goodness. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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