From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdishonestdis‧hon‧est /dɪsˈɒnɪst $ -ˈɑː-/ adjective DISHONESTnot honest, and so deceiving or cheating people OPP honest dishonest traders People on welfare are wrongly seen as lazy or dishonest. —dishonestly adverb A person is guilty of theft if he or she dishonestly obtains property.THESAURUSdishonest behaving in a way that is intended to deceive people, for example by lying, cheating, or stealingAre 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 positionscorrupt politiciansLaw and order has broken down, and most government officials are corrupt.devious /ˈdiːviəs/ good at secretly thinking of clever plans to trick people in order to get what you wantYou 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 wantIn 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 dishonestLucy decided not to tell him where she was going. She was often a bit sly like that.He’s a sly old fox.unscrupulous /ʌnˈskruːpjələs/ using dishonest and unfair methods to get what you want, without caring if you harm other peopleSome unscrupulous companies try to persuade people to borrow huge sums of money.fraudulent /ˈfrɔːdjələnt $ ˈfrɒːdʒə-/ formal deliberately deceiving people in an illegal way in order to gain money or powerYou will be prosecuted if you make a fraudulent claim on your insurance policy.seeming to be dishonestsuspicious if someone or something seems suspicious, they make you think that something dishonest or illegal is happeningThe police are treating the boy’s death as suspicious.dubious if something seems dubious, you think it may not be completely true, right, or honestHe has a rather dubious reputation.It all sounds highly dubious to me.the country’s dubious record on human rightsshady shady business deals or people seem to be dishonest or connected with secret and illegal activitiesSeveral senior members of the party had been involved in shady deals.a shady charactershifty someone who looks shifty looks as if they are doing or planning something dishonestThe 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 somethingThere’s something a bit dodgy about him.dodgy business deals
Examples from the Corpus
dishonest• For instance, referring to the title, some characters are just and immoral, some are fair and dishonest.• They say our commanders are dishonest.• People on welfare are often wrongly characterized as lazy or dishonest.• A few dishonest dealers give the used car trade a bad name.• A second form of corruption was dishonest dealing by the officers of the law.• Any kind of sharp practice or dishonest dealing will infallibly ruin his career.• It was dishonest, he felt.• I don't think he was being dishonest - he just didn't know the truth.• a dishonest lawyer• It was dishonest of him to suggest that he actually had a degree from Oxford - he was just there for one term.• There were even rebelliously honest policemen, who might blow the whistle on the dishonest ones.• A store presumably would not authorise dishonest persons putting items intended to be stolen even into the shop's trolley.• a dishonest politician 