honestly
/ˈɒnɪstli
/adverb
1In a truthful, fair, or honourable way: he’d come by the money honestly...
- Would you trust this man to behave fairly, honestly, and ethically in his portfolio?
- He had reached a wrong conclusion, but there was every indication that he had come to this decision honestly and honourably.
- We would do better to deal honestly with what they have shown us than to criticize them for speaking the truth without love.
Synonyms
fairly, lawfully, legally, legitimately, honourably, decently, ethically, morally, by fair means, by just means, without corruption, in good faith, by the book, in accordance with the rules
informal on the level
2Used to emphasize the sincerity of an opinion or feeling: she honestly believed that she was making life easier for Jack...
- I sincerely and honestly regret everything that happened.
- I found the images truly sickening and I honestly could not believe that you would decide to publish them.
- I honestly believe that it wasn't just an attack on America, although it happened here in America.
Synonyms
frankly, candidly, sincerely, genuinely, truthfully, truly, wholeheartedly, freely, openly, plainly, straight out, straight from the shoulder
informal straight up
2.1 [sentence adverb] Used to emphasize the truthfulness of a statement: honestly, darling, I’m not upset...
- Quite honestly, I don't like to go into those situations until everything is at least settled down.
- It's not that hard, quite honestly, for these guys to stay out of trouble.
- I'm sure there's a load of stuff I'm supposed to be doing today, but quite honestly I can't remember what it was.
Synonyms
truthfully, really, truly, actually, to be honest, to tell you the truth, to be frank, speaking truthfully, speaking frankly, in all honesty, in all sincerity, in plain language, in plain English;
without pretence, without dissembling
informal Scout's honour
dated honest Injun
2.2 [sentence adverb] Used to indicate the speaker’s annoyance or impatience: honestly, that man is the absolute limit!...
- Oh, honestly! Could my day possibly be more boring?
- Oh honestly, was that really necessary?
- Honestly, did you have to tell everyone?