Sincerity
sɪnˈser.ə.ti
Definitions
The quality of being honest and genuine in your feelings and actions; truthfulness.
sɪnˈser.ə.ti
The quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy; genuineness.
She spoke with such sincerity that everyone believed her.
💡 Simply: Sincerity means being real and honest with your feelings and what you say. It's like when your friend tells you the truth, even if it's not what you want to hear. It shows they really care and aren't trying to trick you.
👶 For kids: Being sincere means being real and honest with your heart and words.
More Examples
His sincerity was evident in his heartfelt apology.
I appreciated the sincerity of her offer to help.
How It's Used
"People often value sincerity in personal relationships."
"The politician's sincerity was questioned during the debate."
Idioms & expressions
with all sincerity
Expressing something very honestly and genuinely.
"I can tell you with all sincerity that I had nothing to do with it."
From Latin sincerus (pure, clean) + -ity (suffix forming nouns denoting a state or quality). The word's meaning evolved from physical purity to moral uprightness and genuineness.
Used since the 16th century, initially describing physical purity, then evolving to its current meaning of moral honesty.
Memory tip
Think of a 'sink' - to be sincere is to be 'clear' and 'clean' like a freshly cleaned sink.