uczciwy

Uczciwy is a Polish adjective meaning honest, fair, or upright. It describes people or conduct marked by truthfulness, integrity, and fairness in dealing with others. In everyday language it is used for individuals (uczciwy człowiek), for actions (uczciwa transakcja, uczciwe praktyki), and for situations that are fair or legitimate. The word conveys not only truth-telling but also moral soundness and reliability.

Grammatically, uczciwy agrees with gender and number: masculine singular uczciwy, feminine singular uczciwa, neuter singular uczciwe; plural forms include uczciwi (masculine personal) and uczciwe (feminine or neuter nouns). The related noun is uczciwość (honesty, integrity).

Usage considerations: uczciwy often implies a moral character and fairness in conduct, whereas szczery emphasizes openness or candor. In some contexts it can denote legitimate or proper behavior, as in uczciwy interes (a fair deal). The term is commonly contrasted with nieuczciwy (dishonest) and with terms such as fałszywy (false) or nieuczciwość (dishonesty).

Etymology: the word is native to Polish, derived from the same semantic field as uczciwość and related Slavic terms that express honesty and fairness.

See also: uczciwość.