Etymology
Origin of insincerity
Explanation
When you're not telling the whole truth, you're demonstrating the quality of insincerity. You might detect a politician's insincerity during a speech, and decide to vote for his opponent, who seems more honest. If you can't stand insincerity, you'll bristle when someone compliments your haircut in a false, overly enthusiastic way — you can tell they're not being forthright with you. Sincerity, the complete absence of any pretense, comes from the Latin sincerus, "whole, clean, or pure," or "genuine." Insincerity adds the "not" prefix in-, resulting in a meaning of "not genuine."
Vocabulary lists containing insincerity
Ten Most Relevant Words: The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1
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myPerspectives 6.4
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Module 2: Assessed Vocabulary Guide
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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.
Insincerity, callousness, selfishness, treachery in its more refined aspects, these are apt to arouse at first incredulity and at last scorn in us.
From Prisoners Fast Bound In Misery And Iron by Cholmondeley, Mary
Insincerity and flattery between us are in vain.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 331, May, 1843 by Various
Insincerity is always weakness; sincerity even in error is strength.
From The Principles of Success in Literature by Lewes, George Henry
Insincerity in life may be mean, despicable, and indicate a petty nature; but in art insincerity is death.
From The Speaker, No. 5: Volume II, Issue 1 December, 1906. by Pearson, Paul M. (Paul Martin)
Insincerity of that kind is not lost on our fellow citizen by adoption, who is only anxious to fall in with the ways of the country; and especially is it not lost on his boy.
From A Ten Year War An Account of The Battle with The Slum in New York by Riis, Jacob A. (Jacob August)
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.
