1
general::
dishonest
behaving in a way that is intended to deceive people, for example by lying, cheating, or stealing:
• Are you accusing me of being dishonest? • The money was acquired through dishonest means. • People are no longer surprised to find that politicians are dishonest.
corrupt
using your power in a dishonest way for your own advantage – used about people in official positions:
• corrupt politicians • Law and order has broken down, and most government officials are corrupt.
devious
good at secretly thinking of clever plans to trick people in order to get what you want:
• You have a very devious mind! • They use all kinds of devious methods to find out your personal details.
underhand
British English , underhanded American English underhand methods involve secretly deceiving people in order to get what you want:
• In a series of underhand moves, Browne managed to gain control of the company.
sneaky
doing or saying things secretly, in a way that seems wrong because it is slightly dishonest or unfair:
• It was pretty sneaky when the bank charged me interest on my account without telling me.
sly
deliberately behaving in a way that hides what you are really thinking or doing, in a way that is slightly dishonest:
• Lucy decided not to tell him where she was going. She was often a bit sly like that. • He’s a sly old fox.
unscrupulous
using dishonest and unfair methods to get what you want, without caring if you harm other people:
• Some unscrupulous companies try to persuade people to borrow huge sums of money.
fraudulent
formal deliberately deceiving people in an illegal way in order to gain money or power:
• You will be prosecuted if you make a fraudulent claim on your insurance policy.
seeming to be dishonest
suspicious
if someone or something seems suspicious, they make you think that something dishonest or illegal is happening:
• The police are treating the boy’s death as suspicious.
dubious
if something seems dubious, you think it may not be completely true, right, or honest:
• He has a rather dubious reputation. • It all sounds highly dubious to me. • the country’s dubious record on human rights
shady
shady business deals or people seem to be dishonest or connected with secret and illegal activities:
• Several senior members of the party had been involved in shady deals. • a shady character
shifty
someone who looks shifty looks as if they are doing or planning something dishonest:
• The man on the market stall looked a bit shifty when he gave me my change.
dodgy
British English informal probably dishonest and not to be trusted – used especially to say that you do not want to be involved with someone or something:
• There’s something a bit dodgy about him. • dodgy business deals
Longman-Thesaurus
2
general::
adj. VERBS be, seem | become | consider sth, regard sth as What they are doing is not considered dishonest. ADV. very | downright I think he's downright dishonest! | rather, slightly | basically, fundamentally
Oxford Collocations Dictionary