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bona fide

or bona-fide

[boh-nuh fahyd, bon-uh; boh-nuh fahy-dee]
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adjective

made, done, presented, etc., in good faith; without deception or fraud: a bona fide statement of intent to sell.
authentic; true: a bona fide sample of Lincoln's handwriting.

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RELATED WORDS

genuine, legitimate, authentic, authoritative, credible, natural, official, original, pure, real, rightful, straight, unquestionable, veritable, card-carrying, actual, honest, kosher, valid, true

Nearby words

  1. bon vivant,
  2. bon voyage,
  3. bon, cape,
  4. bona,
  5. bona dea,
  6. bona fides,
  7. bona vacantia,
  8. bonaci,
  9. bonadoxin,
  10. bonafide

Origin of bona fide

First recorded in 1935–45, bona fide is from the Latin word bonā fidē
ANTONYMS FOR bona fide
spurious, deceitful, false.
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Can be confusedbona fide bona fides (see usage note at bona fides)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bona fide

British Dictionary definitions for bona fide

bona fide

adjective (ˈbəʊnə ˈfaɪdɪ)

real or genuinea bona fide manuscript
undertaken in good faitha bona fide agreement

noun (ˈbɔːnə fɑɪd)

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

Word Origin for bona fide

C16: from Latin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bona fide

bona fide

1540s, Latin, literally "in good faith," ablative of bona fides "good faith" (see faith). Originally used as an adverb, later (18c.) also as an adjective. The opposite is mala fide.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for bona fide

bona fide

[(boh-nuh feyed, boh-nuh feye-dee, bon-uh feyed)]

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.