sincere
UK /sɪnˈsɪə(ɹ)/ · US /sɪnˈsɪɹ/ adjective, proper noun
Forms sincerer sincerest Cincere
- adjective Genuine, honest, and free from pretense or deceit; heartfelt. “I believe he is sincere in his offer to help.”
- adjective Meant truly or earnestly. “She gave it a sincere if misguided effort.”
- adjective (archaic) Clean; pure.
- proper noun A male given name.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle French sincere, from Latin sincerus (“genuine”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together”) (whence English sam) + *ḱer- (“grow”) (whence Latin Ceres, the goddess of harvest, etymon of cereal). Not from sine (“without”) + cera (“wax”), which is a folk etymology; see Wikipedia page.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L. sincerus, of uncertain origin; the first part perhaps akin to sin- in singuli (see Single), and the second to cernere to separate (cf. Discern): cf. F. sincère.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sincere”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details