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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dishonesty
Participants are urged to restrain harmful speech, dishonesty, anger and ego.
—
Irfan Sarwar, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
What matters most is the dishonesty.
—Julian Givi, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
What matters most is the dishonesty.
—Danielle Hass, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
His pardons also disproportionately favored crimes involving dishonesty, Osler wrote.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dishonesty
Irfan Sarwar, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
What matters most is the dishonesty.
—Julian Givi, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
What matters most is the dishonesty.
—Danielle Hass, The Conversation, 2 Feb. 2026
His pardons also disproportionately favored crimes involving dishonesty, Osler wrote.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dishonesty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dishonesty
Noun
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Taking someone’s money by deceit is generally not allowed, and the misrepresentations contained in the contract could serve as proof of the alleged fraud.—
Robert L. Boone,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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And in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Hurt played one of the New York socialites who falls into the web of deceit created by a charismatic young man (Will Smith) pretending to be the son of Sidney Poitier.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2024, North Korea claimed to have successfully testlaunched a multiwarhead missile, but South Korea quickly dismissed it as deception to cover up a failed launch.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Mar. 2026
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These include debt bondage, restriction of movement, withholding of wages, excessive overtime, physical violence, surveillance, deception, isolation, abuse of vulnerability and abusive conditions.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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The leader of the Ex-Slave Pension Association was later imprisoned on mail fraud charges, and the organization faded away, while the Eagles became one of the pressure groups that eventually led to Social Security.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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At first, the attention became so intense that Bravo was removed from the televisions inside the minimum-security camp, where Shah was serving her sentence for her role in a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There seems to be a widespread perception that musicians who use artificial intelligence are engaged in a form of cheating.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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There is no rampant cheating or election fraud in California.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dishonesty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dishonesty. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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