insincere
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insincere
1625–35; < Latin insincērus tainted, dishonest; see in- 3, sincere
Explanation
Someone who's insincere is a little bit fake or phony. Your classmate's insincere apology for interrupting you probably sounds like she doesn't really mean it. When you're insincere, you're not being completely honest. A losing politician often gives an insincere-sounding concession speech, and a teacher who's having a terrible day might wear an insincere smile on her face. The adjective sincere, "coming from genuine, honest feelings," is at the root of insincere — the Latin prefix in, or "not," is combined with sincerus, "sound, pure, or whole."
Vocabulary lists containing insincere
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Insincere writing spat out tired idioms “like a cuttlefish spurting out ink”.
From The Guardian • Sep. 21, 2018
This academic paper, titled "Insincere Flattery Actually Works: A Dual Attitudes Perspective," shows that, in a sales context, it pays to give bogus compliments even when the recipient recognizes their transparent bogusness.
From Slate • Dec. 4, 2013
Insincere men may ape sentiments they do not really believe in; but in the end they will either be exposed and held up to ridicule, or their work will sink into obscurity.
From Elizabethan Demonology by Spalding, Thomas Alfred
Insincere compliments, flatteries when rebukes would be fitting, and all the brood of civil conventionalities, are not the words meant here.
From Expositions of Holy Scripture Second Kings Chapters VIII to End and Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Esther, Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes by Maclaren, Alexander
No man now speaks a plain word: Insincere Speech the prime material of insincere Action.
From Past and Present by Carlyle, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
