Word of the day · 11 July 2026
integrity
/ɪnˈtɛɡrɪti/
noun
Honesty and moral consistency; also the state of being whole and undivided.
In a sentence
- The board praised her integrity after she reported the error herself.
- Inspectors checked the bridge’s structural integrity after the flood.
- Voters said integrity mattered more than polished speeches.
In an image
Origin
From Latin integritas (wholeness, completeness), from integer (whole, untouched).
History
Integrity began as wholeness: something intact rather than broken. English kept that structural sense in phrases like structural integrity and data integrity. The moral sense grew beside it: a person of integrity acts as one piece, not as a public face and a private deal. Both meanings still share the idea that nothing vital has been split off.
Nearby words
honesty · probity · wholeness
Character that holds together, and structures that do the same.