sincere
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
honest and real; you use this to describe a person who truly means what they say.
characterising a person or their actions as genuine and free from pretence.
Simple“He gave a sincere apology for being late, and I could tell he really felt bad.”
In context“She is a sincere person who never hides her true feelings, even when the truth is difficult for others to hear.”
UsageOften used to describe a person's character or their specific apology or promise.
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
describes a feeling or a message that is deeply felt and true.
describing an emotion, belief, or statement that is deeply felt and earnestly intended.
Simple“Please accept my sincere thanks for all the help you gave me this week.”
In context“The ambassador expressed his sincere hope that the two nations could reach a peaceful agreement before the end of the year.”
UsageCommonly collocates with 'belief', 'desire', 'hope', or 'sympathy'.
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”), a folk etymology; see Wikipedia page.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.