DISHONEST

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does dishonest mean? 

• DISHONEST (adjective)
  The adjective DISHONEST has 2 senses:

1. deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive

2. capable of being corrupted

  Familiarity information: DISHONEST used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISHONEST (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive

Synonyms:

dishonest; dishonorable

Similar:

ambidextrous; deceitful; double-dealing; double-faced; double-tongued; duplicitous; Janus-faced; two-faced (marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another)

beguiling (misleading by means of pleasant or alluring methods)

deceitful; fallacious; fraudulent (intended to deceive)

deceptive; misleading (designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently)

false (designed to deceive)

picaresque (involving clever rogues or adventurers especially as in a type of fiction)

blackguardly; rascally; roguish; scoundrelly (lacking principles or scruples)

shady (of questionable honesty or legality)

thieving; thievish (given to thievery)

Also:

dishonorable; dishonourable (lacking honor or integrity; deserving dishonor)

insincere (lacking sincerity)

corrupt; crooked (not straight; dishonest or immoral or evasive)

false (not in accordance with the fact or reality or actuality)

untrustworthy; untrusty (not worthy of trust or belief)

Antonym:

honest (not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Capable of being corrupted

Synonyms:

bribable; corruptible; dishonest; purchasable; venal

Context example:

a venal police officer

Similar:

corrupt (lacking in integrity)

 Context examples 

For a dishonest one, obviously, or why should he drug his own stable-boy?

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If from no better motive, that he should not have been too proud to be dishonest—for dishonesty I must call it.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Do you think Miss Ingram will not suffer from your dishonest coquetry?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

He gave this proceeding, throughout, the appearance of having originated in Mr. W.'s own dishonest intention, and of having been accomplished by Mr. W.'s own dishonest act; and has used it, ever since, to torture and constrain him.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I heard that the man with the wooden leg, whose name was Tungay, was an obstinate barbarian who had formerly assisted in the hop business, but had come into the scholastic line with Mr. Creakle, in consequence, as was supposed among the boys, of his having broken his leg in Mr. Creakle's service, and having done a deal of dishonest work for him, and knowing his secrets.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

She was incurably dishonest.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)