candid
Americanadjective
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frank; outspoken; open and sincere.
a candid critic.
- Synonyms:
- plain, straightforward, guileless, ingenuous
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free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward.
a candid opinion.
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a candid photo.
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a candid mind.
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Archaic. white.
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Archaic. clear; pure.
noun
adjective
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frank and outspoken
he was candid about his dislike of our friends
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without partiality; unbiased
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unposed or informal
a candid photograph
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obsolete
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white
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clear or pure
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Related Words
See frank 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of candid
First recorded in 1620–30; (from French candide ) from Latin candidus “shining white,” equivalent to cand(ēre) “to be shining white” (akin to incense 1 ) + -idus -id 4
Explanation
Straightforward and truthful talk might be described with the adjective candid. If you're always candid, your parents will know that they can trust you. A serious-minded politician might suggest engaging in a "candid discussion" about a complicated topic like health care or the environment, because candid means "open" or "frank." Remember that TV show Candid Camera? It was called that because its hidden cameras supposedly showed a candid view of reality. In photography, candid has become a noun meaning "an unposed photo." The word comes from Latin candidus, meaning "white," which was later extended to mean "pure." Candid talk provides the pure, unvarnished truth.
Vocabulary lists containing candid
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
Leslie Albrecht shared a method some home sellers are using to get candid feedback when they are having difficulty attracting prospective buyers.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Chinese officials and analysts have been candid in their assessments of U.S. hard power, impressed by a military they acknowledge remains the best in the world.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
In 2023, he was briefly unseated as CEO, and the board claimed that he was “not consistently candid in his communications.”
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
In the candid and clearsighted “Jan Morris,” Ms. Wheeler gives us the “monster and the humane, lovable companion,” the aggressive charmer who boasted of being the “only Lady Card Holder” at the Travellers Club.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
In other instances he had been annoyingly candid in pointing out where Perutz and Bragg had publicly overinterpreted their hemoglobin results.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
