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Glite Dictionary
honest-to-goodness

honest-to-goodness

6 7.7
Real and not fake
  • adjective
  • /ˈɑːnɪst tə ˈɡʊdnəs/
  • Informal
translation icon : genuino
  • "I got a boyfriend," she says, "a real, honest-to-goodness boyfriend."
  • real, honest-to-goodness
  • genuine, honest-to-goodness
  • actual honest-to-goodness

This is an actual honest to goodness probability, OK?

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Examples

  • This time it's an experiment, an honest to goodness experiment.

  • Folks, I'd like for you all to know... that we have an honest-to-goodness celebrity with us here tonight.

    Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)

  • Then tell me honest to goodness, three things you love to taste.

  • And an honest to goodness smile, a real smile.

    André Duqum

  • My first days as an honest-to-goodness music teacher.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Quality is not only free, it is an honest-to-goodness profit maker.

    Academic text (1993)

  • You get yourself some rain, not just a drizzle but honest-to-goodness rain.

    Sabrina (1954)

  • The bare assertions without evidence are why we need honest-to-goodness examples.

    Blog text (9)

  • The best part of Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas is that it's legit, honest-to-goodness Christmas music.

    Blog text (11)

  • She found an honest-to-goodness treasure map in her grandmother's attic.

Synonyms

honest
vshonest-to-goodness
∞ 1.0

Truthful and fair, not cheating or lying

is chiefly an informal emphatic label for being real, not a moral quality
true
vshonest-to-goodness
993 1.0

Recognized as real, for example an owner or heir

is the informal emphatic way to state realness rather than the broader meaning
sincere
vshonest-to-goodness
239 2.5

Being honest and showing what you really feel

is the informal emphatic form focused on realness rather than feelings
authentic
vshonest-to-goodness
218 3.8

Something that is real and trustworthy, not a fake

is the informal emphatic expression rather than a formal authenticity term
genuine
vshonest-to-goodness
156 3.2

Truly felt and not fake, for example a smile or apology

is the informal emphatic expression for general realness, not only feelings
bona fide
vshonest-to-goodness
  • Formal
25 5.9

Being real and honest, not fake

is more an informal emphatic phrase, not a formal legal or status term
honest-to-god
vshonest-to-goodness
  • Informal
1 7.9

Truly real and not fake

is the alternate informal emphatic form with identical meaning
sure-enough
vshonest-to-goodness
  • Informal
1 8.1

Clearly real and not fake to show you really mean it

is an alternative informal emphatic phrase with the same meaning
legit
vshonest-to-goodness
  • Informal
1 8.5

To say that something is really true or serious

is an informal emphatic word with the same meaning
dinkum
vshonest-to-goodness
  • Australian
9.9

Real and honest, not false

is an informal emphatic term used more widely than the regional form

Antonyms

fake
833 1.8

Not real and made to look like something real

false
715 1.0

Not true or correct

How Genuine

authentic
218 3.8
honest-to-goodness
  • Informal
6 7.7
real
∞ 1.0
fake
833 1.8

Surface Forms

honest-to-goodness positive

Morphology

honest-to-goodness = honest + goodness (semi-transparent) = to + honest + goodness

The components 'honest' and 'goodness' are recognisable, but the hyphenated idiomatic intensifier meaning ('truly' or 'genuinely') is somewhat idiomatic and not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

The phrase honest-to-goodness joins honest ('true') and goodness ('real quality') to make a stronger promise. So, honest-to-goodness means 'genuine' or 'not fake'.