The integrity meaning most people look for is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you keep to, even when breaking them would be easier or would go unnoticed. A cashier who chases a customer down the street to return extra change is acting with integrity.
The word has a second, older-feeling sense too: being whole, complete and undamaged. Engineers speak of the integrity of a bridge, and computer staff speak of the integrity of data. Both senses share one root idea, that something is all of a piece.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Honesty plus steady moral principles; also wholeness or soundnessPart of speech
Noun (uncountable)Pronunciation
in-TEG-rih-teeRelated forms
integral, integrate, integer (same Latin root)Origin
Latin integritas, "wholeness", from integer, "whole, untouched"; English from around 1400Opposite
dishonesty, corruption, hypocrisyRegister
Neutral to formal
The integrity meaning: character and wholeness
- Moral integrity: being honest and fair and following your principles consistently. A person of integrity does not say one thing and do another, and does not drop their values when there is money or approval to gain.
- Wholeness or soundness: the state of being complete and not broken or weakened. Examples include structural integrity (a building that can bear its loads), data integrity (records that are accurate and not corrupted) and territorial integrity (a country's borders kept whole).
The link between the two: a person with integrity is "whole" in the sense that their beliefs, words and actions fit together without cracks.
From a Latin word for untouched
Integrity comes from the Latin integritas, meaning soundness or completeness, from integer, "whole, intact". The same root gives us integer (a whole number) and integrate (to make into a whole). It entered English around 1400, first in the sense of innocence or purity. The sense of wholeness followed in the 1400s, and by the 1540s it had the meaning of moral uprightness and honesty in dealings. That moral sense now leads the integrity meaning in English, though the wholeness sense is far from rare.
Integrity in real sentences
- The judge was known for her integrity, even in cases with heavy public pressure.
- Cracks in the beam raised questions about the bridge's structural integrity.
- Our school's academic integrity policy forbids copying another student's work.
- He showed integrity by reporting his own error to the client.
- Backups help protect the integrity of the company's customer records.
Pairings and grammar
Integrity is uncountable, so you say great integrity or a lot of integrity, not "an integrity". Frequent phrases:
- a person of integrity, a man or woman of integrity
- act with integrity, show integrity, lack integrity
- compromise your integrity, question someone's integrity
- personal integrity, professional integrity, artistic integrity
Artistic integrity means sticking to your own creative vision rather than changing it only to sell more. In sport, the integrity of the game refers to fair play and rules that are not fixed.
Integrity compared with nearby words
| Word | Focus |
|---|---|
| Integrity | Consistency between principles and actions, over time |
| Honesty | Telling the truth and not deceiving |
| Ethics | The moral rules or standards a person or group follows |
| Accountability | Taking responsibility for results and errors |
| Hypocrisy | The opposite: claiming values you do not live by |
Honesty is part of integrity, but integrity is wider. You could be honest about a selfish plan, for example, and still lack integrity.
Where you come across it
Job adverts and performance reviews list integrity as a core value. Universities use academic integrity for rules against cheating and copying (see plagiarism). Engineers and safety inspectors use the wholeness sense daily. In news and public life the word appears in discussions about officials, elections and courts, where it means being fair and free from corruption. You will find more value words like virtue and dignity in our character vocabulary collection.
Frequently asked questions
What does integrity mean in simple words?
Integrity means being honest and doing what is right, even when no one is watching. It also means being whole and undamaged, as with a strong building.
How would you define integrity at work?
At work, integrity means telling the truth, keeping promises, giving credit fairly and following the rules when cutting corners would be easier. Employers value it because it builds trust.
What is the definition of integrity in engineering?
Structural integrity is the ability of a structure or part to hold its loads without breaking or bending too far. Inspections check for cracks, rust and wear that would weaken it.
Is integrity the same as honesty?
Not exactly. Honesty is about truthfulness, while integrity covers the whole match between your values and your actions, including fairness and keeping your word.
Can you say someone has no integrity?
Yes. Saying a person has no integrity, or lacks integrity, is a strong criticism meaning they cannot be trusted to follow principles.
How do you pronounce integrity?
Say in-TEG-rih-tee, with the stress on TEG. The g sounds like the one in give.