Sincere

How to spell sincere

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce sincere

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sincere mean?

1. adjectiveGenuine and honest, free from pretence or deceit.

Sincere in a sentence

• Her sincere apology helped repair the friendship.

• The manager gave a sincere thank-you to the whole team.

Where does sincere come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin sincerus, which meant 'clean', 'pure', 'sound', or 'whole', describing something unspoiled and free of corruption. English adopted it in the 1500s, partly through French, first applying it to things that were pure or unmixed and only later to people and feelings that are honest and unfeigned. A famous folk story claims it derives from sine cera, meaning 'without wax', the idea being that honest sculptors did not patch flaws in marble with wax; this tale is charming but almost certainly false, and scholars do not accept it. The genuine root is simply the Latin adjective for purity, and the modern sense of heartfelt honesty grew naturally from that idea of being unadulterated. The single c followed by -ere is the spelling trap, since the soft c invites a doubled or s spelling that the word does not take.

How the word is built

• sincer- (from Latin sincerus: pure, whole, genuine)
• -e