dishonesty

English

Etymology

From Middle English dishoneste (“disgrace, filth”), from Old French deshoneste, equivalent to dis- +‎ honesty or dishonest +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪsˈɒnɪ.sti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

dishonesty (usually uncountable, plural dishonesties)

1. (uncountable) The characteristic or condition of being dishonest.
   • 2022 January 26, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Government's IRP claims condemned as "dishonest"”, in RAIL, number 949, page 7:

     He added: "We've always had spin, especially from Government. But this is not spin. This is dishonesty and so it's our rail media's urgent responsibility to call it out because non-specialist journalists across the country will report this and gradually these untruths will be accepted.

2. (countable) An act which is fraudulent or otherwise dishonest.
3. (uncountable, obsolete) Shamefulness, disgrace.
   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:

     His dishonesty appears in leaving his friend here in necessity and denying him.

Antonyms

• honesty

Translations

characteristic or condition of being dishonest

• Bulgarian: нечестност (bg) f (nečestnost), непочтеност (bg) f (nepočtenost)
• Czech: nepoctivost (cs) f
• French: malhonnêteté (fr) f
• German: Unehrlichkeit (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍄𐌴𐌹 f (liutei)
• Hindi: बेईमानी (hi) f (beīmānī)
• Irish: caimiléireacht f, ainionracas m, caime f, camastaíl f, éigneastacht f, eisionracas m, míchneastacht f, mí-ionracas m, mímhacántacht f
• Latin: fraudulentia f, perfidia f
• Malayalam: നേരുകേട് (ml) (nērukēṭŭ), വക്രത (ml) (vakrata), കള്ളത്തരം (kaḷḷattaraṁ)
• Maori: whakapōhēhē, whakapōhēhētanga
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: лавыра (lavyra)

• Old English: unsōþfæstnes f
• Polish: nieuczciwość (pl) f, nieszczerość (pl) f, brak szczerości f
• Portuguese: desonestidade (pt) f
• Russian: нече́стность (ru) f (nečéstnostʹ), бесче́стность (ru) f (besčéstnostʹ)
• Swedish: oärlighet (sv) c
• Ukrainian: несумлінність (nesumlinnistʹ), нечесність (nečesnistʹ)

an act which is fraudulent or dishonest

• Bulgarian: измама (bg) f (izmama), мошеничество (bg) n (mošeničestvo)
• Maori: whakapōhēhē, whakapōhēhētanga
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: лавыра (lavyra)

• Polish: nieuczciwość (pl) f
• Portuguese: desonestidade (pt) f
• Russian: обма́н (ru) m (obmán), моше́нничество (ru) n (mošénničestvo)
• Swedish: oärlighet (sv) c
• Ukrainian: обман (obman)

References

• “dishonesty”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “dishonesty”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Middle English

Adjective

dishonesty

1. Alternative form of dishoneste (“disgrace”)