dishonest
Prone to lying
Dishonest describes someone who lies, cheats, or deceives—or actions characterized by such behavior.
A dishonest person can't be trusted.
A dishonest answer conceals or distorts the truth.
It would be dishonest to pretend I didn't know.
The word carries moral weight: dishonesty isn't just inaccuracy but deliberate deception.
Feigning ignorance or innocence
- hypocriticalFeigning beliefs one lacks
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- falseNot matching reality
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
phony · pretense · untrustworthy · hollow · slippery · calculating · mealy-mouthed · double-dealing
Deliberate deception or fraud
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- artificeClever deceptive strategy
cunning · chicanery · sleight · feint · ruse · ploy · stratagem · wile
Dishonest money-making scheme
- swindleDeception for financial gain
- conArgument against
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- counterfeitFraudulent imitation
fake · phony · bogus · charlatan · impostor · quack · sham · flimflam
Deliberate untrue statement
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- perjuryCriminal courtroom dishonesty
- mendacityDisposition to lie
untruthful · prevarication · dissembling · tall tale · whopper · balderdash · cock-and-bull · misstatement
Loss of honor
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- disreputeDamaged public standing
- infamyExtreme public disgrace
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
ignominy · unethical · unprincipled · unscrupulous · shameless · ignoble · base · low
Corrupt payment for influence
- graftIllicit political gain
- kickbackIllegal payment for services
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
cronyism · extortion · racketeering · malfeasance · misappropriation · profiteering · venality · patronage
Cause false belief
- misinformConvey false details
- disinformSpread false information deliberately
- hoodwinkTrick into false belief
- bamboozleDeceive through cunning
dupe · beguile · delude · obfuscate · misrepresent · distort · manipulate · propaganda
disingenuous
Feigning ignorance or innocence
- hypocriticalFeigning beliefs one lacks
- two-facedInsincere and deceptive
- falseNot matching reality
deceitful · phony · pretense · untrustworthy · hollow · slippery · calculating · mealy-mouthed · double-dealing · backstabbing
trickery
Deliberate deception or fraud
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- guileSly, strategic dishonesty
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
artifice · cunning · chicanery · sleight · feint · ruse · ploy · stratagem · wile · craftiness
scam
Dishonest money-making scheme
counterfeit · fake · phony · bogus · charlatan · impostor · quack · sham · flimflam · grifter
falsehood
Deliberate untrue statement
- fibTrivial, harmless falsehood
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- perjuryCriminal courtroom dishonesty
mendacity · untruthful · prevarication · dissembling · tall tale · whopper · balderdash · cock-and-bull · misstatement · canard
disgrace
Loss of honor
scandal · ignominy · unethical · unprincipled · unscrupulous · shameless · ignoble · base · low · contemptible
bribery
Corrupt payment for influence
- graftIllicit political gain
- kickbackIllegal payment for services
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
nepotism · cronyism · extortion · racketeering · malfeasance · misappropriation · profiteering · venality · patronage · kleptocracy
deceive
Cause false belief
- misinformConvey false details
- disinformSpread false information deliberately
- hoodwinkTrick into false belief
bamboozle · dupe · beguile · delude · obfuscate · misrepresent · distort · manipulate · propaganda · spin
- unfairnessunfair, unjust, biased, unequal, inequitable
- qualitative judgmentsgood, bad, better, worse, best
- DIS- wordsdisagree, disallow, disbelieve, disapprove, disarray
- authenticityauthentic, genuine, real, fake, counterfeit
- falsifiedfalsified, doctored, fabricated, fake, faked
- selfish traitsselfish, greedy, self-centered, self-absorbed, egotistical