What is the Latin word for honest?

The usual Latin words for “honest” are bonus, probus, sānctus; also sincērus, vērus, incorruptus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“honest” in Latin

bonusgood, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant; right; useful probusgood, serviceable, excellent, superior, able; upright, honest, virtuous, moral, proven sānctussacred, made inviolable, having been established as sacred.; sanctified or made holy; venerable, august, divine, blessed sincērusclean, pure, sound; uninjured, whole; real, natural vērustrue, real, actual (conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct); true, genuine (not counterfei incorruptusunspoiled, uninjured, uncorrupted; not spoiled or seduced unadulterated, unbribed; genuine, pure candidusshining white; clear, bright; fair, beautiful simplexsingle; simple, plain, uncompounded; pure, unmixed integercomplete, whole, intact, uninjured, sound, healthy aperiōto uncover, make or lay bare, reveal, clear; to make visible, discover, show, reveal, lay open; to unclose, open, break

The English word honest itself goes back to Latin honor, through honestus.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

honest

Upright, guileless, etc., bonus: probus: sanctus (SYN. in HONORABLE): sincerus (PROP., without strange or foreign addition; hence pure, genuine; opposed to fucatus): verus (true; opposed to falsus, simulatus). (The words are found in this connection and order.) sincerus atque verus: incorruptus (uncorrupted: opposed to corruptus; these three of persons and things): candidus (pure; of character): simplex (plain, straightforward, simple): integer (not influenced by any corrupt motive, impartial; these three ofpersons): apertus (open, not dissembling). (The words are found in this connection and order.) apertus et simplex. An honest friend, ex animo amicus; amicus fidus: an honest man, vir bonus or probus; homo integer, or innocens, or religiosus; homo sine fuco et fallaciis (straightforward and honest); homo apertae voluntatis, simplicis ingenii, veritatis amicus; homo antiqua fide; vir minime fallax: anybody looks like an honest man, alicujus probitatem ex ore ac fronte ejus cognoscere potes (after Cic., Fat., 5, 10): an honest simple-minded man, homo antiquus (hence easily taken in) an honest judgement, judicium incorruptum.

Honorable, etc., Vid: HONESTLY, probe: integre: sancte: recte (with moral rectitude): sine fraude: sine fuco et fallaciis (without pretence and trickiness): sincere: vere: candide: simpliciter: genuine: aperte: fideliter: ex animo: ex animi sententia: sincera fide: sine dolo: sine fraude (in a guileless, upright, sincere manner): honestly? bona fide? (e.g., are you in earnest?): to act honestly, sincere, ex animo, sincera fide agere; with anybody, *sine fraude agere cum aliquo: to confess honestly, aperte et ingenue confiteri: to judge honestly, incorrupte et integre judicare: to speak honestly, loqui sincere, sine dolo or fraude: I will tell you honestly my own opinion, quid ipse sentiam vere, ingenue, aperte, ex animi sententia dicam: to speak honestly, ne mentiar; si quaeris, or quaeritis, or quaerimus; si verum scire vis; ut ingenue or aperte dicam.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for honest?: The usual Latin words for “honest” are bonus, probus, sānctus; also sincērus, vērus, incorruptus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.