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Added 9 October 2026

sincere

/sɪnˈsɪə(ɹ)/ adjective

In Latin: sincērus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sincere at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Genuine, honest, and free from pretense or deceit; heartfelt.
I believe he is sincere in his offer to help.
Meant truly or earnestly.
She gave it a sincere if misguided effort.
Clean; pure.

Origin

From Middle French sincere, from Latin sincerus (“genuine”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together”) (whence English sam) + *ḱer- (“grow”) (whence Latin Ceres, the goddess of harvest, etymon of cereal). Not from sine (“without”) + cera (“wax”), which is a folk etymology; see Wikipedia page.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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