honestly

adverb

hon·​est·​ly ˈä-nəst-lē 

1

: in an honest manner: such as

a

: without cheating

counted the ballots honestly

b

: really, genuinely

was honestly scared

c

: without frills

food honestly prepared

2

: to be honest : to tell the truth

honestly, I don't know

Synonyms

• actually
• admittedly
• forsooth
• frankly
• indeed
• really
• truly
• truthfully
• verily

Examples of honestly in a Sentence

Officials counted the votes honestly.

The bank has always dealt honestly with me.

I can honestly say that I have never seen that man before today.

He spoke honestly about the mistakes he had made.

She honestly believes that she has been mistreated.

Recent Examples on the Web

Though honestly, having seen how other companies with sub-par licensing deals handle music, this is probably for the best. —Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

Try to answer honestly, but keep things age-appropriate. —Tamekia Reece, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025

Iannucci comes honestly to his cynicism about those in power. —Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025

But honestly, her bob is capturing all of our attention. —Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

honestly

adverb

hon·​est·​ly ˈän-əst-lē 

1

: in an honest manner: as

a

: without cheating

counted the votes honestly

b

: actually, genuinely

was honestly scared

2

: to be honest : to tell the truth

honestly, I don't understand it