dishonesty

dishonesty — noun

1. when someone says or does things that are not true or fair, especially in order

1.nounB2
Definition

when someone says or does things that are not true or fair, especially in order to get an advantage for themselves

Example

The company was accused of financial dishonesty after several reports of hidden payments were discovered.

collocation: accuse of dishonesty

Eitan's dishonesty about his qualifications cost him the job when the truth came out.

Common collocations
  • accuse of dishonesty
  • dishonesty in
  • dishonesty about
  • dishonesty among
  • act of dishonesty
Synonyms
  • deception

    broader term covering any act that makes someone believe something false

  • fraud

    more formal and legal, specifically dishonesty for financial gain

  • deceit

    slightly more formal, often suggests a planned pattern of misleading

  • lying

    more direct and everyday, focused on spoken falsehoods

Antonyms
  • honesty

    the quality of being truthful and fair

Grammar Patterns

dishonesty + in/about/at + something

accuse + of + dishonesty

dishonesty + among + group

Usage Note

Often uncountable. When countable, it refers to a specific dishonest act or instance (e.g., 'a small dishonesty that later became a habit').

Common Mistakes

The report showed many dishonesty.
The report showed many acts of dishonesty.' or 'The report showed a lot of dishonesty.
Dishonesty is usually uncountable; use 'acts of dishonesty' for multiple instances.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe behaviour that is not truthful. Deception is the broadest term, covering any act that causes someone to believe something untrue. Fraud is the most specific and legal in tone, referring to dishonesty for financial or material gain. Deceit is slightly more formal and often suggests a planned, deliberate pattern of misleading rather than a single mistake. Lying is the most direct and everyday term, focused specifically on spoken false statements. For example: 'The journalist uncovered the government's deception about the war.' 'He was convicted of fraud for selling fake medicines to elderly patients.'

deception ↗fraud ↗deceit ↗lying ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • act of dishonesty
  • level of dishonesty
  • culture of dishonesty
  • dishonesty scandal

Phrases

  • accused of dishonesty
  • found guilty of dishonesty
  • dishonesty in the workplace

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Dishonesty comes from Old French deshoneste, a combination of des- (meaning 'not' or 'opposite of') and honeste ('honourable, respectable'). It entered English in the Middle English period and eventually settled into the modern spelling dishonesty by the 1500s. The dis- prefix reverses the sense, so the word literally means 'lack of honesty'.