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Prepositions after adjectives

Honest with vs. honest about

Honest with focuses on the person you tell the truth to. Honest about focuses on the topic or issue.

Quick answer

Honest with or honest about?

Use honest with for the listener or person receiving the truth. Use honest about for the subject being discussed. Both can appear in the same sentence.

Please be honest with me.
She was honest about her mistakes.
He was honest with us about the costs.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
honest with + person

Saying who receives the truth

Use honest with before a person or group.

I try to be honest with my clients.
2
honest about + topic

Naming the subject

Use honest about before an issue, feeling, or fact.

She was honest about her fears.
3
honest with + person + about + topic

Combining both meanings

You can use both prepositions together in one sentence.

They were honest with investors about the risks.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
honest with
Be honest with your parents.
focuses on the person told the truth
honest about
He was honest about the error.
focuses on the subject or fact
honest with someone about something
She was honest with me about her plans.
combines listener and topic

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using with for a topic

With usually introduces a person, not the subject.

✕ She was honest with her problems. ✓ She was honest about her problems.

Using about for a listener

About introduces the topic, not the person receiving the information.

✕ Be honest about me. ✓ Be honest with me.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. He was honest ___ his manager about the delay.
2. She was honest ___ her financial situation.
3. Please be honest ___ us about the results.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I use both with and about together?

Yes. Honest with someone about something is very common.

Which preposition introduces the topic?

About introduces the subject being discussed.

Is honest to correct?

Honest to appears in a few expressions such as honest to God, but not as the normal pattern for people or topics.

halfway-through-between-up-down, to "handmade by" or "handmade in"? "hands-on with" or "hands-on in"? "handy for" or "handy in"? "happy with", "happy about" or "happy for"? hard for, on, at, of or in? harmful to, for, in, by or of? "harmless from" or "harmless to"? harsh on, in, for, with or to? "hateful to", "hateful towards" or "hateful of"? "hazardous to" or "hazardous for"? "head-to-head with" or "head-to-head in"?

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