probity

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Integrity

Nouns

1. probity, integrity, rectitude; uprightness, conscience; honesty, faith; honor; good faith, bona fides; clean hands; dignity, respectability; right, justice. See repute, innocence, virtue, rightness, goodness.

2. constancy; faithfulness, fidelity, loyalty; incorruption, incorruptibility; allegiance, devotion; trustworthiness, sincerity, candor, veracity. See truth.

3. (scruples) punctilio, delicacy, nicety, conscientiousness; scrupulosity, scrupulousness, scruple, point of honor; punctuality, honor system.

4. unselfishness, disinterestedness, sublimity, chivalry.

5. gentleman, man of honor, honest man, man of his word, fidus Achates, a gentleman and a scholar; truepenny, straight arrow. Informal, square- or straight-shooter, brick. Slang, trump, regular fellow, good egg, right guy, ace [of spades].

Verbs — deal honorably, squarely, impartially, or fairly, play fair; speak or tell the truth, speak one's mind, call a spade a spade; do one's duty; keep one's promise or word; be as good as one's word; keep faith with; one's word is one's bond; carry the torch. Informal, be on the level; be on the up and up; level, shoot straight or square. Slang, tell it like it is; go straight.

Adjectives

1. upright; honest, veracious, truthful; virtuous, honorable, law-abiding; upstanding; fair, right, just, equitable, impartial, square; open and aboveboard; straightforward, frank, candid, forthright, openhearted, man-to-man, heart-to-heart, straight from the shoulder. Slang, on the level, on the up and up, straight [as a die], square-shooting, up-front, legit, kosher, stand-up.

2. constant, faithful, loyal, staunch; true, true-blue, true to the core; trusty, trustworthy; as good as one's word, reliable, dependable, to be depended on, steadfast, incorruptible, above suspicion. Informal, on the up and up, fair and square.

3. conscientious; disinterested, right-minded; high-principled, high-minded; scrupulous, religious, strict; nice, punctilious, correct, punctual; respectable, reputable, gentlemanly.

Adverbs — honorably, bona fide; on one's honor, on the square, from the heart, in good faith, honor bright, with clean hands.

Phrases — conscience gets a lot of credit that belongs to cold feet; let your conscience be your guide; honesty is the best policy; honesty is more praised than praticed; children and fools tell the truth; practice what you preach; there is honor among thieves.

Quotations — Conscience: the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking (H. L. Mencken), A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal (Oscar Wilde), The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried (G. K. Chesterton), Men should be what they seem (Shakespeare), This above all, to thine own self be true (Shakespeare), An honest man's word is as good as his bond (Cervantes), Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise (Sigmund Freud), The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made (Jean Giraudoux), It's annoying to be honest for nothing (Ovid), Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty (Plato).

Antonyms, see improbity, affectation.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. fidelity, honor, integrity; see honesty 1 .

III

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun The quality or state of being morally sound: good, goodness, morality, rectitude, righteousness, Tightness, uprightness, virtue, virtuousness. See RIGHT.