Sincerity

How to spell sincerity

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce sincerity

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sincerity mean?

1. nounThe quality of being honest and genuine, free from pretence or deceit.

Sincerity in a sentence

• The apology was delivered with real sincerity, and the team accepted it at once.

• Customers respond to sincerity far more than to a polished sales pitch.

Where does sincerity come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective sincerus, which meant 'clean, pure, sound, or whole', the sort of word a Roman might use for unspoiled wine or unblemished honey. From that adjective Latin built the noun sinceritas, meaning soundness or purity, and over time the sense moved from physical wholeness toward purity of intention and honesty of feeling. English borrowed the word in the sixteenth century, partly through French sincerite, to describe genuineness free from pretence or deceit. A persistent folk story claims the Latin came from sine cera, 'without wax', supposedly because honest sculptors did not patch flaws in marble with wax; this tale is charming but almost certainly false, since the real root is simply sincerus. The single soft c sitting in the middle is the spot most writers hesitate over, and remembering the related adjective 'sincere' anchors that c firmly in place.

How the word is built

• sincer- (from Latin sincerus: pure, clean, whole)
• -ity (noun-forming suffix denoting a quality or state)