Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

insincere

American  
[in-sin-seer] / ˌɪn sɪnˈsɪər /

adjective

  1. not sincere; not honest in the expression of actual feeling; hypocritical.

    Synonyms:
    two-faced, guileful, disingenuous, deceitful
insincere British  
/ ˌɪnsɪnˈsɪə, ˌɪnsɪnˈsɛrɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. lacking sincerity; hypocritical

"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

Other Word Forms

  • insincerely adverb
  • insincerity noun

Etymology

Origin of insincere

1625–35; < Latin insincērus tainted, dishonest; in- 3, sincere

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.

If time doesn’t allow for this, Fitzgerald says, it is often considered better to slip away than to appear rushed or insincere in a curt goodbye.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

That promise, insincere from the start, looks hollower every day.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2025

She cast the media’s focus on the Signal chat as a grossly overblown distraction, saying, “We are not going to bend in the face of this insincere outrage.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2025

"We are not going to bend in the face of this insincere outrage," Leavitt told reporters at the White House.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2025

Powell groaned heavily behind a noticeably insincere smile.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

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.