French word

honnête

Pronunciation

IPA/onɛt/

Meaning

  • adjectivehonest

Example

Il est honnête avec tout le monde.

He is honest with everyone.

Illustration for honnête (honest)

More examples

Pour être honnête, je n'aime pas ce film.

To be honest, I don't like this film.

Core concept

A straight path between intention, speech, and action, with no trickery.

Common phrases

  • être honnête

    be honest

  • une personne honnête

    an honest person

  • pour être honnête

    to be honest

Similar words

franc: Open and direct when expressing opinions or feelings, without holding back.
sincère: Genuine in feelings and words, with no trace of falsehood.
fiable: Reliable and dependable, consistently meeting expectations.

Definition in French

Qui dit la vérité et agit sans tromperie, montrant intégrité et sincérité.

Word origin

Honnête comes from Latin honestus through the Old French forms oneste and honeste, which developed into the modern French spelling.

Usage tips

  • Pour être honnête introduces a candid opinion, while honnêtement is the corresponding adverb.

Other meanings

  • sincereadjective
  • frankadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word