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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 No wonder de Lesseps became a national pariah whose name was synonymous with dishonest incompetence. U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025 These are cheap, dishonest shots against a great intellect, acknowledged by friends and opponents alike. James Gaylord, Oc Register, 15 Sep. 2025 Industry groups insist that they are committed to weeding out dishonest companies that make false claims or sell dangerous products. Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025 Such attempts are dangerous not only for being dishonest but also for missing aspects of customer quality, without which businesses risk falling into the low-price trap. Mindaugas Čaplinskas, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dishonest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dishonest
Adjective
  • He has been criticized for making unscientific and misleading statements, including COVID-19 misinformation and promoting conspiracy theories, and affirming antisemitic, racist, and transphobic comments.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Murphy said that’s misleading because many incidents never make it into official statistics.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Websites with unusually long browser names or a lack of searchable company representatives or contact information could be fraudulent.
    Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Trump wasted no time in taking to Truth Social to lambast the video as fake and fraudulent.
    Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Several residents who work in the Georgia King Village area weighed in on the incident, including Harriette Guity, who told News12 that false reports based on AI could stretch first responders thin.
    Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Archaeologists concluded the structure was actually a false tomb, or a cenotaph, a type of burial monument erected to honor a deceased person buried elsewhere.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Bowlin told the Statesman that alert was created by crews working in the area, leading to an erroneous message uploading to the system.
    Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Some were hastily informed that their firings were erroneous, but the experience rattled the CDC, an agency tasked with overseeing the national response to seasonal respiratory illnesses at a time when those illnesses typically spike.
    Michael Hiltzik, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Dealers and lenders have long engaged in deceptive and predatory practices that jack up prices for car buyers in order to line their pockets.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
  • This looks like an attempt to clean up their devastated public image following the Federal Trade Commission’s strong BOTS Act and deceptive practices case against them.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • At Comedy Central, Colbert rose to prominence playing a slightly exaggerated version of Bill O’Reilly and other unapologetically mendacious Fox News pundits from the George W. Bush years.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
  • The true story reveals both how freedom of speech first came to be conceived of as a mechanism for truth, an antidote to falsehood, and the foundation of all liberty—and that, ironically, this new and powerful theory was itself a deliberately mendacious fiction.
    Fara Dabhoiwala, Harpers Magazine, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • Poulaines hurt the wearer’s feet and could make their toe bones crooked.
    Michael Watson, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Barry Cooper, the colorful former police officer turned scourge of crooked cops, couldn’t attend the screening of a new film about him at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in Arkansas.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Officers making contact with Hyatt noted an odor of intoxicants, staggering gait, confusion and illogical, untruthful responses to questions, according to the motion.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The deficient vice of integrity is being fake, untruthful, inconsistent, unprincipled, and manipulative.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dishonest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dishonest. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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