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Honest vs. Fair: What's the Difference?

Honest and Fair Definitions

Honest

Marked by or displaying integrity; upright
An honest lawyer.

Fair

Of pleasing appearance, especially because of a pure or fresh quality; comely.

Honest

Not deceptive or fraudulent; genuine
Honest weight.

Fair

Light in color, especially blond
Fair hair.

Honest

Equitable; fair
Honest wages for an honest day's work.
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Fair

Of light complexion
Fair skin.

Honest

Characterized by truth; not false
Honest reporting.

Fair

Free of clouds or storms; clear and sunny
Fair skies.

Honest

Sincere; frank
An honest critique.

Fair

Free of blemishes or stains; clean and pure
One's fair name.
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Honest

Of good repute; respectable.

Fair

Promising; likely
We're in a fair way to succeed.

Honest

Without affectation; plain
Honest folk.

Fair

Having or exhibiting a disposition that is free of favoritism or bias; impartial
A fair mediator.

Honest

Virtuous; chaste.
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Fair

Just to all parties; equitable
A compromise that is fair to both factions.

Honest

(of a person or institution) Scrupulous with regard to telling the truth; not given to swindling, lying, or fraud; upright.
We’re the most honest people you will ever come across.

Fair

Being in accordance with relative merit or significance
She wanted to receive her fair share of the proceeds.

Honest

(of a statement) True, especially as far as is known by the person making the statement; fair; unbiased.
An honest account of events
Honest reporting

Fair

Consistent with rules, logic, or ethics
A fair tactic.

Honest

In good faith; without malice.
An honest mistake

Fair

Moderately good; acceptable or satisfactory
Gave only a fair performance of the play.
In fair health.

Honest

(of a measurement device) Accurate.
An honest scale

Fair

Superficially true or appealing; specious
Don't trust his fair promises.

Honest

Authentic; full.
An honest day’s work

Fair

Lawful to hunt or attack
Fair game.

Honest

Earned or acquired in a fair manner.
An honest dollar

Fair

(Archaic) Free of all obstacles.

Honest

Open; frank.
An honest countenance

Fair

In a proper or legal manner
Playing fair.

Honest

(obsolete) Decent; honourable; suitable; becoming.

Fair

Directly; straight
A blow caught fair in the stomach.

Honest

(obsolete) Chaste; faithful; virtuous.

Fair

To join (pieces) so as to be smooth, even, or regular
Faired the aircraft's wing into the fuselage.

Honest

(obsolete) To adorn or grace; to honour; to make becoming, appropriate, or honourable.

Fair

(Archaic) A beautiful or beloved woman.

Honest

(colloquial) Honestly; really.
It wasn’t my fault, honest.

Fair

(Obsolete) Loveliness; beauty.

Honest

Decent; honorable; suitable; becoming.
Belong what honest clothes you send forth to bleaching!

Fair

A gathering for the buying and selling of goods, often held at a particular time and place; a market
We attended the annual book fair.

Honest

Characterized by integrity or fairness and straightforwardness in conduct, thought, speech, etc.; upright; just; equitable; trustworthy; truthful; sincere; free from fraud, guile, or duplicity; not false; - said of persons and acts, and of things to which a moral quality is imputed; as, an honest judge or merchant; an honest statement; an honest bargain; an honest business; an honest book; an honest confession.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
An honest physician leaves his patient when he can contribute no farther to his health.
Look ye out among you seven men of honest report.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

Fair

An exhibition of home or farm products and skills, usually with competitions and entertainments
My pumpkin won first prize at the county fair.

Honest

Open; frank; as, an honest countenance.

Fair

An exhibition intended to inform people about a product or business opportunity
A computer fair.
A job fair.

Honest

Chaste; faithful; virtuous.
Wives may be merry, and yet honest too.

Fair

An event, usually for the benefit of a charity or public institution, including entertainment and the sale of goods; a bazaar
A church fair.

Honest

To adorn; to grace; to honor; to make becoming, appropriate, or honorable.

Fair

Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.
Monday's child is fair of face.
There was once a knight who wooed a fair young maid.

Honest

Not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent;
Honest lawyers
Honest reporting
An honest wage
Honest weight

Fair

Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.
One's fair name
After scratching out and replacing various words in the manuscript, he scribed a fair copy to send to the publisher.

Honest

Without dissimulation; frank;
My honest opinion

Fair

Light in color, pale, particularly with regard to skin tone but also referring to blond hair.
She had fair hair and blue eyes.

Honest

Worthy of being depended on;
A dependable worker
An honest working stiff
A reliable source of information
He was true to his word
I would be true for there are those who trust me

Fair

Just, equitable.
He must be given a fair trial.

Honest

Free from guile;
His answer was simple and honest

Fair

Adequate, reasonable, or decent, but not excellent.
Their performance has been only fair.
The patient was in a fair condition after some treatment.

Honest

Without pretensions;
Worked at an honest trade
Good honest food

Fair

Favorable to a ship's course.

Honest

Habitually speaking the truth;
An honest man
A veracious witness

Fair

Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.
A fair sky;
A fair day

Honest

Marked by truth;
Gave honest answers

Fair

Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unencumbered; open; direct; said of a road, passage, etc.
A fair mark;
In fair sight;
A fair view

Fair

(shipbuilding) Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.

Fair

(baseball) Between the baselines.

Fair

Taken direct from an opponent's foot, without the ball touching the ground or another player.

Fair

Not a no ball.

Fair

(statistics) Of a coin or die, having equal chance of landing on any side, unbiased.

Fair

Something which is fair (in various senses of the adjective).
When will we learn to distinguish between the fair and the foul?

Fair

(obsolete) A woman, a member of the ‘fair sex’; also as a collective singular, women.

Fair

(obsolete) Fairness, beauty.

Fair

A fair woman; a sweetheart.

Fair

(obsolete) Good fortune; good luck.

Fair

A community gathering to celebrate and exhibit local achievements.

Fair

An event for public entertainment and trade, a market.

Fair

An event for professionals in a trade to learn of new products and do business, a trade fair.

Fair

A travelling amusement park (called a funfair in British English and a (travelling) carnival in US English).

Fair

(transitive) To smoothen or even a surface (especially a connection or junction on a surface).

Fair

(transitive) To bring into perfect alignment (especially about rivet holes when connecting structural members).

Fair

To make an animation smooth, removing any jerkiness.

Fair

(transitive) To construct or design with the aim of producing a smooth outline or reducing air drag or water resistance.

Fair

To make fair or beautiful.

Fair

Clearly, openly, frankly, civilly, honestly, favorably, auspiciously, agreeably

Fair

Free from spots, specks, dirt, or imperfection; unblemished; clean; pure.
A fair white linen cloth.

Fair

Pleasing to the eye; handsome; beautiful.
Who can not see many a fair French city, for one fair French made.

Fair

Without a dark hue; light; clear; as, a fair skin.
The northern people large and fair-complexioned.

Fair

Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; favorable; - said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.; as, a fair sky; a fair day.
You wish fair winds may waft him over.

Fair

Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unincumbered; open; direct; - said of a road, passage, etc.; as, a fair mark; in fair sight; a fair view.
The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.

Fair

Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; - said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.

Fair

Characterized by frankness, honesty, impartiality, or candor; open; upright; free from suspicion or bias; equitable; just; - said of persons, character, or conduct; as, a fair man; fair dealing; a fair statement.

Fair

Pleasing; favorable; inspiring hope and confidence; - said of words, promises, etc.
When fair words and good counsel will not prevail on us, we must be frighted into our duty.

Fair

Distinct; legible; as, fair handwriting.

Fair

Free from any marked characteristic; average; middling; as, a fair specimen.
The news is very fair and good, my lord.

Fair

Clearly; openly; frankly; civilly; honestly; favorably; auspiciously; agreeably.

Fair

Fairness, beauty.

Fair

A fair woman; a sweetheart.
I have found out a gift for my fair.

Fair

Good fortune; good luck.
Now fair befall thee !

Fair

A gathering of buyers and sellers, assembled at a particular place with their merchandise at a stated or regular season, or by special appointment, for trade.

Fair

A festival, and sale of fancy articles. erc., usually for some charitable object; as, a Grand Army fair; a church fair.

Fair

A competitive exhibition of wares, farm products, etc., not primarily for purposes of sale; as, the Mechanics' fair; an agricultural fair.

Fair

An exhibition by a number of organizations, including governmental organizations, for the purpose of acquainting people with such organizations or their members, not primarily for commercial purposes; as, the 1939 World's Fair.
Meet me in St. Louis, LouisMeet me at the fairDon't tell me the lights are shiningAnyplace but there.

Fair

To make fair or beautiful.
Fairing the foul.

Fair

To make smooth and flowing, as a vessel's lines.

Fair

A traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc.

Fair

Gathering of producers to promote business;
World fair
Trade fair
Book fair

Fair

A competitive exhibition of farm products;
She won a blue ribbon for her baking at the county fair

Fair

A sale of miscellany; often for charity;
The church bazaar

Fair

Join so that the external surfaces blend smoothly

Fair

Free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; or conforming with established standards or rules;
A fair referee
Fair deal
On a fair footing
A fair fight
By fair means or foul

Fair

Showing lack of favoritism;
The cold neutrality of an impartial judge

Fair

More than adequate in quality;
Fair work

Fair

Not excessive or extreme;
A fairish income
Reasonable prices

Fair

Visually appealing;
Our fair city

Fair

Very pleasing to the eye;
My bonny lass
There's a bonny bay beyond
A comely face
Young fair maidens

Fair

(of a baseball) hit between the foul lines;
He hit a fair ball over the third base bag

Fair

Of no exceptional quality or ability;
A novel of average merit
Only a fair performance of the sonata
In fair health
The caliber of the students has gone from mediocre to above average
The performance was middling at best

Fair

Attractively feminine;
The fair sex

Fair

(of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections;
Fair copy
A clean manuscript

Fair

Free of clouds or rain;
Today will be fair and warm

Fair

(used of hair or skin) pale or light-colored;
A fair complexion

Fair

In conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or cheating;
They played fairly

Fair

In a fair evenhanded manner;
Deal fairly with one another

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