These are different words, and their usage (context) differs substantially. How would you define them or explain the difference (if you believe there is one)?
Learn English – the difference between “truthfully” and “honestly”
adverbsdifferences
adverbsdifferences
These are different words, and their usage (context) differs substantially. How would you define them or explain the difference (if you believe there is one)?
Best Answer
I would say that it is entirely possible to be completely truthful without being at all honest. Generally you do this by answering a question exactly as asked, or by giving as little information as possible when you know something relevant that would interest the other person.
For instance, if your father comes storming into the house and demands, "What happened to the mailbox?!", you could be truthful and say "I saw that on my way in, it looks like somebody clipped it with their car." (After all, you did see it on your way in, and it does look like that). Or, you could be honest and say "My friend who was giving me a ride home wasn't looking when he turned his car around in the driveway and ran into it, and I told him not to worry about it, I'd take care of it for him."
So, for a definition, "being truthful" = "making only statements that you know or believe to be true", while "being honest" = "Telling the whole truth (that is, all the relevant information that you know)."