integrity

integrity — noun

1. The quality of always being honest and following strong moral rules, especially

1.nounB2
Definition

The quality of always being honest and following strong moral rules, especially when doing the right thing costs you something or brings you trouble.

Example

Mauricio showed great integrity by returning the lost wallet with all the cash still inside it.

collocation: show integrity

The politician's integrity was questioned after voters discovered she had accepted money from a company she was supposed to investigate.

passive: integrity was questioned

Common collocations
  • a person of integrity
  • moral integrity
  • personal integrity
  • have the integrity to do something
  • question someone's integrity
Synonyms
  • honesty

    more general; does not always imply sticking to principles under pressure

  • uprightness

    more formal, emphasises moral correctness

  • probity

    very formal, used in legal or academic contexts

  • rectitude

    formal, morally correct behaviour

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

have the integrity to + infinitive

Usage Note

Frequently used with possessive determiners (his integrity, her integrity) and in the fixed phrase 'a person of integrity'. This is the most common sense of the word.

Common Mistakes

He has a strong integrity.
He has strong integrity.
integrity is uncountable and does not take 'a'.
She is a person with high integrity.
She is a person of integrity.
'of integrity' is the standard fixed expression.

2. The attitude of refusing to lower the quality of your work or art, even when doi

2.nounB2
Definition

The attitude of refusing to lower the quality of your work or art, even when doing so would bring more money, popularity, or approval from others.

Example

Sumin refused to rewrite the novel as a romance story, saying it would compromise her artistic integrity.

collocation: compromise artistic integrity

The university has strict rules about academic integrity, and students who copy from the internet may be expelled.

collocation: academic integrity

Common collocations
  • artistic integrity
  • academic integrity
  • professional integrity
  • compromise the integrity of something
  • preserve the integrity of something
Synonyms
  • principle

    a personal rule or standard; more specific to one belief

  • ethics

    usually plural; the whole system of moral rules in a profession

  • honour

    British English; often about reputation and pride in one's work

Antonyms
  • compromise

    in this context, lowering one's standards

  • corruption

    allowing dishonest practices in a profession

Grammar Patterns

[adjective] + integrity

compromise the integrity of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly paired with domain-specific adjectives: 'artistic integrity' (creative work), 'academic integrity' (scholarship), 'professional integrity' (any career). The sense overlaps with sense 1 when the same action involves both moral and professional standards.

Common Mistakes

She has a strong artistic integrity.
She has strong artistic integrity.
still uncountable.

3. A condition in which something is fully together, nothing is missing or broken,

3.nounC1
Definition

A condition in which something is fully together, nothing is missing or broken, and all parts remain in their proper place — applying to physical objects, electronic data, national borders, or group identity.

Example

Engineers inspected the bridge carefully and confirmed that its structural integrity had not been weakened by the storm.

collocation: structural integrity

The database uses special checks to ensure data integrity so that no records are lost or corrupted.

collocation: data integrity

Common collocations
  • structural integrity
  • data integrity
  • territorial integrity
  • cultural integrity
  • the integrity of something
Synonyms
  • completeness

    all parts present; less about strength

  • unity

    working together as one, especially for groups or nations

  • wholeness

    more general and less technical than integrity

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the integrity of + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense appears in formal, technical, or academic writing far more often than in casual speech. The specific domain (engineering, computing, law, cultural studies) changes which adjective pairs with it — always check the field before choosing a collocation.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe moral goodness, but they differ in context and strength. Honesty is the most common everyday word — it means telling the truth and not deceiving people. Uprightness goes further, suggesting a person whose whole character is morally correct and reliable. Probity is a formal term most often found in legal or financial contexts, where a person's proven honesty over time matters more than a single act. Rectitude is also formal and has a slightly old-fashioned feel; it emphasises strict adherence to moral rules rather than natural truthfulness. For example, you would say a child has honesty, a judge has uprightness, an accountant is chosen for her probity, and a religious leader is admired for his rectitude. Integrity (the headword) is the broadest — it covers all these ideas and adds the element of not giving in to temptation or pressure.

honesty ↗uprightnessprobityrectitude

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a person of integrity
  • lack of integrity
  • test of integrity
  • question of integrity

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Integrity comes from Latin 'integritas', meaning 'wholeness' or 'soundness', which in turn comes from 'integer' meaning 'whole, complete, untouched'. The word 'integer' is formed from 'in-' ('not') + 'tangere' ('to touch') — literally 'not touched', so something still in its original, unbroken state. This original sense of physical wholeness (sense 3) later extended to moral wholeness (sense 1) — a person whose character is 'untouched' by corruption. English borrowed the word through French 'intégrité' in the 14th century.