honest-to-goodness

[ on-ist-tuh-good-nis ]

/ ˈɒn ɪst təˈgʊd nɪs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR honest-to-goodness ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

real or genuine.

adverb

really, truly, or genuinely.

Also hon·est-to-God

[on-ist-tuh-god]. /ˈɒn ɪst təˈgɒd/.

Origin of honest-to-goodness

First recorded in 1915–20

Words nearby honest-to-goodness

honest broker, honest Injun, Honest John, honestly, honest to God, honest-to-goodness, honesty, honesty box, Honesty is the best policy, honewort, honey

Example sentences from the Web for honest-to-goodness

Instead, I am relieved to find myself in an honest-to-goodness rural watering hole.
Half of This Bar Is in Slovenia, the Other Half Is in Croatia|Jeff Campagna|January 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We'll have an honest-to-goodness musicale with Signora Geraldina Courtlandta as head-liner.
The Trail of Conflict|Emilie Baker Loring
There were honest-to-goodness beds, carpets and linoleum on the kitchen floor!
Land of the Burnt Thigh|Edith Eudora Kohl
You see, us Schmidts came over from Germany about a hundred years ago, but were honest-to-goodness Americans just the same.
Dorothy Dixon and the Double Cousin|Dorothy Wayne

But I will say that this amphibian of yours steers more like a loaded truck in a mudhole than an honest-to-goodness plane!
Dorothy Dixon Wins Her Wings|Dorothy Wayne
Why couldnt you let the rest of us get a glimpse of some honest-to-goodness sharpers?
The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass|Allen Chapman