Dishonesty is the habit of lying or cheating. Accused of dishonesty, financial dishonesty, sheer dishonesty.
It is a settled characteristic rather than one lie, which is why it is such a serious charge in employment and in professional regulation — a finding of dishonesty usually ends a career in law, accountancy or medicine. In criminal law, dishonesty is an element of theft and fraud and has a defined test. Note dishonest; and that the word once meant disgrace.
1noundishonestyThe habit of lying or cheating.
“He was fired for dishonesty after he lied about his expenses.”
dishonesty is a quality of deceit.
Old French deshoneste is des- plus honeste, from Latin honestus, honourable. The Middle English word meant disgrace or filth before it narrowed to lying.
Old French
deshoneste
Middle English
dishoneste — disgrace, filth
English, today
dishonesty
From Middle English dishoneste (“disgrace, filth”), from Old French deshoneste, equivalent to dis- + honesty or dishonest + -y.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA