genuine
[jen-yoo-in]
- possessing the claimed or attributed character, quality, or origin; not counterfeit; authentic; real: genuine sympathy; a genuine antique.
- properly so called: a genuine case of smallpox.
- free from pretense, affectation, or hypocrisy; sincere: a genuine person.
- descended from the original stock; pure in breed: a genuine Celtic people.
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Origin of genuine
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comPronunciation note
Two pronunciations of genuine occur, with a sharp social contrast between them. The usual educated pronunciation is [jen-yoo-in] /ˈdʒɛn yu ɪn/, with the final syllable unstressed. Among some less educated speakers, especially older ones, genuine is commonly pronounced as [jen-yoo-ahyn] /ˈdʒɛn yuˌaɪn/, with a secondary stress on the final syllable, which has the vowel of sign. The latter pronunciation is sometimes used deliberately by educated speakers, as for emphasis or humorous effect.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
speciousbogusphonyfalsemythicaluntrueunsubstantiatedinaccuratefictitiousnaturalirregularfakeimperfectshammongrelinferiorcounterfeitadulteratedimpuremisbegottenExamples from the Web for ungenuine
Historical Examples
It is pronounced by some of the best critics to be ungenuine.
The Cradle of the ChristOctavius Brooks Frothingham
Hilary and Anna had lately sung this wail together, but not to its end, she had called it "so ungenuine."
Kincaid's BatteryGeorge W. Cable
genuine
- not fake or counterfeit; original; real; authentic
- not pretending; frank; sincere
- being of authentic or original stock
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin genuīnus inborn, hence (in Late Latin) authentic, from gignere to produce
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for ungenuine
genuine
adj.
1590s, "natural, not acquired," from Latin genuinus "native, natural," from root of gignere "beget" (see genus), perhaps influenced in form by contrasting adulterinus "spurious." [Alternative etymology is from Latin genu "knee," from a supposed ancient custom of a father acknowledging paternity of a newborn by placing it on his knee.] Meaning "really proceeding from its reputed source" is from 1660s. Related: Genuinely; genuineness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper