This is the 4268th most frequent German word.
ehrlich
Honest.
In this sentence, 'ehrlich' is used as an adjective describing someone's character.Being 'honest' implies they are truthful and fair.
Er ist ein ehrlicher Mensch.
He is an honest person.
Here, 'ehrlich gesagt' is an adverbial phrase used to express sincerity about the speaker's opinion.
Ehrlich gesagt, ich mag das nicht.
Honestly speaking, I don't like this.
In this case, 'ehrlich' is an adverb modifying 'antworten,' indicating the manner of answering should be genuine and truthful.