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
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Truth oaths are not just for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service but for many different companies that want to curb dishonest behavior or that ask employees to report information that is difficult to verify.—Iese Business School, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 Greta’s stealth revolution may look natural, but the change is weak and dishonest.—Armond White, National Review, 5 Mar. 2025 Medical professionals say such accounts are not only untrue but fundamentally dishonest.—Sarah Varney | Kff Health News, ABC News, 13 Feb. 2025 Moore’s dishonest representations of Hogan’s legacy, and his willingness to rearrange rather than solve our state’s problems, is a departure from the uniqueness that recently defined Maryland politics.—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dishonest
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French deshoneste, from des- dis- + honeste honest
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