bona fide

American  

[boh-nuh fahyd, bon-uh, boh-nuh fahy-dee] / ˈboʊ nə ˌfaɪd, ˈbɒn ə, ˈboʊ nə ˈfaɪ di /

Or bona-fide

adjective

1. made, done, presented, etc., in good faith; without deception or fraud.

   a bona fide statement of intent to sell.

   Synonyms:

   legal, lawful, sincere, honest

   Antonyms:

   deceitful

2. authentic; true.

   a bona fide sample of Lincoln's handwriting.

   Synonyms:

   genuine

   Antonyms:

   false, spurious

---

bona fide British  

adjective

1. real or genuine

   a bona fide manuscript

2. undertaken in good faith

   a bona fide agreement

---

noun

1. informal a public house licensed to remain open after normal hours to serve bona fide travellers

bona fide Cultural  

1. Genuine: “The offer was a bona fide business opportunity: they really meant to carry it through.” From Latin, meaning “in good faith.”

---

Usage

See bona fides.

Etymology

Origin of bona fide

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin bonā fidē “in good faith, with good faith,” ablative singular of (nominative singular) bona fidēs; see also bona fides ( def. )

Example Sentences

Bona fide “action” occurs, despite experimental film’s avoidance of narrative and story: The Beatles play on the radio and a character performed by the filmmaker Hollis Frampton drops dead.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2023

Bona fide freelancers who operate as small businesses have long been commonplace in creative fields like film, journalism, and graphic design.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2016

Bona fide stars, we may prefer to think, must be gods and goddesses cut from a different cloth than mere mortals.

From The Guardian • Mar. 22, 2010

Bona fide taxes, imposed to raise money, are constitutional under Congress' power to raise revenue.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bona fide, bō′na fīd′ā, adv. and adj. in good faith, with sincerity, genuine.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Related Words

• genuine
• legitimate