Definition of dishonestnext
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as in false
marked by, based on, or done by the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value dishonest appraisals of art works that were part of an elaborate scheme to defraud insurance companies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dishonest differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dishonest are deceitful, mendacious, and untruthful. While all these words mean "unworthy of trust or belief," dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud.

a swindle usually involves two dishonest people

When is deceitful a more appropriate choice than dishonest?

While the synonyms deceitful and dishonest are close in meaning, deceitful usually implies an intent to mislead and commonly suggests a false appearance or double-dealing.

the secret affairs of a deceitful spouse

When might mendacious be a better fit than dishonest?

The words mendacious and dishonest are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

When could untruthful be used to replace dishonest?

The words untruthful and dishonest can be used in similar contexts, but untruthful stresses a discrepancy between what is said and fact or reality.

an untruthful account of their actions

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 dishonest More and more people are avoiding dating or befriending those with opposing political views, and growing numbers describe those on the other side as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent. Justin Callais, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026 His judgments about the characters—both famous and obscure—who mattered in this low, dishonest era are always persuasive. Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026 At the same time, my husband and I have always tried to parent as a team, and keeping something like this from him feels dishonest. Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026 This is incredibly misleading, dishonest and self-serving. U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dishonest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dishonest
Adjective
  • Winds high above Saturn were generating electrical currents, creating a misleading auroral signal that mimicked changes in rotation.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Parts of the ballot language backing a tax on second homes in San Diego are misleading and must be amended, a judge ruled Thursday.
    Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • In another case, Nita Almuete Paddit Palma, 76, and her husband, Adolfo Catbagan, 68, are accused of operating three fraudulent hospice care facilities, including one that was operating while Palma was free on bond in another hospice fraud case.
    Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Medicare paid the Gills more than $4 million on the fraudulent claims.
    Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Five of the cases involved hospice care facilities in several cities across Los Angeles County that submitted false claims to Medicare for patients who were not terminally ill and were not eligible for services, prosecutors said.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
  • This means that precious time was likely lost at the beginning as police investigated a lead that was based on false assumptions.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • But those who in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made erroneous predictions of imminent mass starvation erred by underestimating the world‑changing potential of grasses.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Complaints vary from inquiries sent through the website going unanswered and erroneous card charges to broken or ineffective merchandise.
    Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Also, offering free samples is deceptive marketing, due to evidence that 7-OH is addictive.
    Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Set in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the grandiosity of MoMA is deceptive.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.
    Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Supporters of recent state AI regulations said the measures will address potential threats to public safety and personal privacy, and to counter any mendacious actions created by AI, while not hindering innovation.
    Hope Moses, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Debuting them in a brief, awkward first flight, like a firework that shoots crooked after being in storage too long.
    María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Tolkan also played Napoleon and his look-alike in Woody Allen’s Love and Death (1975) and was the crooked accountant known as Numbers who works for Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) in Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990).
    Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The child abuse pediatrician said the claims in the post, which mirrored those on the fundraising page, were also untruthful.
    Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Federal authorities announced an investigation Friday of two immigration officers who appeared to have made untruthful statements under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month.
    Hannah Schoenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dishonest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dishonest. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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