Integrity is firm adherence to a moral or ethical code, an honesty and incorruptibility that make a person unable to betray a trust. In a separate but related sense, it also means the state of being whole, sound, or undivided.
What does integrity mean?
In everyday use, integrity describes people who do what is right even when no one is watching, and whose words and actions line up. Merriam-Webster defines the moral sense as firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, and stresses trustworthiness so complete that a person is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility, or pledge. Someone with integrity keeps promises, tells the truth, and behaves consistently across situations.
What is the second meaning of integrity?
The word also names the quality of being whole and unimpaired. Engineers speak of the structural integrity of a bridge, meaning it is sound and undivided. Technologists refer to data integrity, meaning information stays accurate and uncorrupted. Both uses share the core idea of wholeness rather than a moral judgment.
Where does the word come from?
Integrity entered English from Latin integritas, meaning soundness or wholeness, which is built on integer, meaning whole, complete, or untouched. The same root gives us the mathematical term integer for a whole number. That shared origin is why one word covers both moral wholeness and physical soundness.
How is integrity used in a sentence?
You might say a journalist reported the story with integrity, meaning honestly and without bias. You might also say a leak threatened the integrity of the investigation, meaning its completeness. The table below contrasts the two main senses.
| Sense | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Moral | Honesty and incorruptibility | She is known for her integrity. |
| Wholeness | Sound and undivided condition | The crash tested the car’s structural integrity. |
What words are similar to integrity?
Close synonyms for the moral sense include honesty, probity, uprightness, and incorruptibility. For the wholeness sense, near equivalents include soundness, completeness, and unity. Antonyms range from dishonesty and corruption to fragmentation and division, depending on which meaning is intended.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does integrity mean?
It means firm adherence to a moral or ethical code and an honesty that makes a person incapable of being false to a trust.
Where does the word integrity come from?
From Latin integritas and integer, meaning whole, complete, or untouched.
What is structural integrity?
A related sense meaning a structure is whole, sound, and unimpaired.
What are synonyms for integrity?
Honesty, probity, uprightness, and incorruptibility.