sincerity
Americannoun
Synonym Usage
See honor.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sincerity
First recorded in 1540–50; from the Latin word sincēritās; see sincere, -ity
Explanation
Sincerity is a mix of seriousness and honesty. If you do things with sincerity, people will trust you. Along with patience and compassion, sincerity is one of those qualities we all probably wish we had more of — and wish other people had more of, too. People who show sincerity are being serious, kind, and truthful. Politicians who show sincerity tend to do well because people believe them. An apology full of sincerity will probably be accepted. On the other hand, if you show no sincerity — by being sarcastic or dismissive — well, who wants an apology like that?
Vocabulary lists containing sincerity
Beowulf: A New Telling
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John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
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List 8
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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.
The deeper mystery, one I’d still like explained, is how Early found the time to learn how to mimic Douglas Sirk’s sneaky sincerity, the trickiest of directorial tones.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
No one should doubt the sincerity of his faith.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
The combination of thematic sincerity and confident visual sophistication makes for a strangely disarming, almost lyrical experience, closer to a poem than a film — a feeling amplified by the movie’s brisk length.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
Melton: That kind of sincerity is the default in Kansas and Missouri.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
And each time, he displayed the same level of grief, what people who heard him would characterize as inescapable sincerity.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
