INDEX:
1. dishonest
2. secretly dishonest
3. when someone or something seems dishonest
4. dishonest behaviour
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ HONEST
to take part in something dishonest : ↑ TAKE PART/BE INVOLVED (7)
see also
↑ CHEAT
↑ ILLEGAL
↑ LIE
↑ STEAL
↑ CRIME
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1. dishonest
▷ dishonest /dɪsˈɒnɪst, dɪsˈɒnəstǁ-ˈɑː-/ [adjective]
someone who is dishonest tells lies or tries to trick people or steal things :
▪ A few dishonest dealers give the used car trade a bad name.
▪ a dishonest politician
▪ People on welfare are often wrongly characterized as lazy or dishonest.
it is dishonest of somebody to do something
▪ It was dishonest of him to suggest that he actually had a degree from Oxford - he was just there for one term.
▷ corrupt /kəˈrʌpt/ [adjective]
a corrupt politician, official, or police officer uses their power in a dishonest way for their own advantage, for example by accepting money from people in return for helping them :
▪ In the 1970s, the city’s police force was among the most corrupt in the nation.
▪ Corrupt customs officials have helped the drug trade to flourish.
▪ Perez said that there were virtually no procedures in place to weed out corrupt officials.
▷ crooked /ˈkrʊkɪd, ˈkrʊkəd/ [adjective]
someone who is crooked is involved in illegal or dishonest business activities :
▪ A crooked civil servant sold hundreds of British passports on the black market, a court heard yesterday.
crooked (business) deal
▪ The land was obtained in a crooked business deal between politicians and an Arizona savings and loans association.
▷ crook /krʊk/ [countable noun]
someone who is involved in dishonest and usually criminal activities, especially someone who gets money by cheating people :
▪ Collins called the governor a crook and said he should be removed from office.
▷ bent /bent/ [adjective] British spoken
use this about someone in an official position, who uses their power illegally or dishonestly :
▪ Half the inspectors here are bent.
▪ A few bent coppers can give the whole police force a bad name.
▷ unscrupulous /ʌnˈskruːpjɑləs/ [adjective]
someone who is unscrupulous uses dishonest and unfair methods to get what they want, and does not care if they harm other people :
▪ Isn’t it time we did something to protect the elderly from unscrupulous business people?
▪ Morgan admitted that some of his actions may have been unscrupulous, but he denied doing anything illegal.
2. secretly dishonest
▷ devious /ˈdiːviəs/ [adjective]
someone who is devious tries to get what they want by secretly using clever plans to trick people, so you can never be sure what their real intentions are :
▪ You have to be pretty devious to be successful in that sort of business.
▪ In the film, he plays a devious defence lawyer named Richard Adler.
▷ sneaky /ˈsniːki/ [adjective]
someone who is sneaky does things secretly and tricks people in order to get what they want :
▪ You never know what’s going on in that sneaky mind of his.
▪ Watch out for Andy. He can be really sneaky.
▷ sly /slaɪ/ [adjective]
someone who is sly deliberately and cleverly hides their real intentions and feelings in order to get what they want, without other people realizing what they are doing :
▪ Children of that age can be very sly.
sly smile/look/expression etc
▪ A sly look crossed his face when Patsy mentioned the money.
slyly [adverb]
▪ They had slyly arranged to have the party while we were away.
▷ underhand British /underhanded American /ˌʌndəʳˈhænd◂, ˌʌndəʳˈhændə̇d◂/ [adjective]
underhand methods or ways of doing things involve secretly deceiving people in an unfair way in order to get what you want without them knowing your intentions :
▪ In a series of very smart, underhand moves, Browne gradually gained control of the company.
▪ A federal judge criticized U.S. immigration officials for ‘underhanded tactics’ to deny asylum to Haitians.
▪ She accused the council of behaving in an ‘underhand’ manner and said residents should have been consulted.
3. when someone or something seems dishonest
▷ suspicious /səˈspɪʃəs/ [adjective]
use this about behaviour or a situation that makes you think that someone is doing something dishonest :
▪ It all seems very suspicious to me. Where did he get all that money from?
▪ The circumstances surrounding McBain’s death are suspicious.
▪ He glanced around, satisfied that nobody was taking any notice of his suspicious behaviour, then opened the door.
suspicious-looking
▪ There was a suspicious-looking man standing in a doorway across the street.
suspiciously [adverb]
behave/act suspiciously
▪ The victim was attacked after spotting the men acting suspiciously outside his house in Bracknell, Berkshire.
▷ shady /ˈʃeɪdi/ [adjective]
use this to describe business deals or the people involved in them, when they seem dishonest or illegal, especially because the business is secret :
▪ His acceptance of an interest-free £125,000 loan from a shady businessman looks suspicious to say the least.
shady deal
▪ He has been mixed up in a number of shady deals in the Cayman Islands.
▷ shifty /ˈʃɪfti/ [adjective]
someone who is shifty looks or behaves as if they are doing or planning something dishonest :
▪ There’s something shifty about that guy.
▪ a shifty, fast-talking lawyer
▷ dodgy /ˈdɒdʒiǁˈdɑː-/ [adjective] British informal
probably dishonest, although you are not sure of the facts - use this especially to say that you do not want to be involved with someone or something :
▪ Don’t buy a car from him, he’s a real dodgy character.
▪ The whole thing looks distinctly dodgy to me.
▷ dubious/questionable /ˈdjuːbiəsǁˈduː-, ˈkwestʃənəb ə l/ [adjective]
use this about someone’s behaviour or a business arrangement that does not seem completely right or correct, so that you think it is probably dishonest :
▪ He had been involved in some questionable business activities at one time.
▪ Marantz resigned after discovering that dubious business deals were being negotiated by his fellow officials.
highly dubious/questionable
▪ The whole deal seems highly dubious to me.
▷ be up to no good /biː ˌʌp tə nəʊ ˈgʊd/ [verb phrase] informal
use this about someone you think is doing or planning something dishonest, even though you do not know exactly what it is :
▪ If you ask me, that husband of hers is up to no good.
▪ Anyone waiting around on street corners at night must be up to no good.
4. dishonest behaviour
▷ dishonesty /dɪsˈɒnɪsti, dɪsˈɒnəstiǁ-ˈɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
dishonest behaviour :
▪ Are you accusing me of dishonesty?
▪ The report accuses both politicians of dishonesty and of misrepresenting the facts.
▷ corruption /kəˈrʌpʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when someone who works for the government, the police etc uses their power dishonestly to get money or gain an advantage :
▪ The chief of police was forced to resign after allegations of corruption.
▪ The administration has frequently been accused of corruption and abuse of power.
widespread corruption
▪ Corruption has become so widespread there that you almost can’t imagine the system working without it.
▷ bribery /ˈbraɪbəri/ [uncountable noun]
when someone offers money to a politician or government official in order to persuade them to do something :
▪ Officials said the bribery investigation would continue.
▪ US firms are alleged to have used bribery to win contracts.
▪ Several politicians are linked to the bribery and sex scandal.
bribery and corruption
▪ One of Murrow’s chief campaign promises was to do something about bribery and corruption.
▷ graft /grɑːftǁgræft/ [uncountable noun] American
dishonest behaviour by politicians who accept money from companies in return for helping them :
▪ Stevens was in court yesterday facing charges of graft and tax evasion.
▪ A major investigation is underway to root out graft there, he said.
▷ sharp practice /ˌʃɑːʳp ˈpræktə̇s/ [uncountable noun] British
business activities or ways of making money that are clever and dishonest, though not actually illegal :
▪ We couldn’t discover anything specific, but there was definitely some sharp practice going on.
▪ His grandfather had made a fortune out of a piece of commercial sharp practice in the 19th century.
▷ dirty tricks /ˌdɜːʳti ˈtrɪks/ [plural noun]
dishonest activities that are designed to gain political advantage, for example by spreading false information about your opponents :
▪ Burrows denied that members of his election staff had been involved in dirty tricks.
▪ The book focuses on the dirty tricks, break-ins, and illegal campaign contributions of the 1972 presidential election.
dirty tricks campaign
▪ They had carried out a dirty tricks campaign to discredit opposition leaders.