Sincerity
/sɪnˈsɛrɪti/
nounB2
Definition
Sincerity means being real and honest with your feelings or words. When someone shows sincerity, they mean what they say and do not try to hide or change their true thoughts. It is about being open and truthful in actions and speech.
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See It in Action
The quality of being honest and genuine in feelings or words
- •Her sincerity made everyone trust her instantly.
- •He spoke with sincerity about his mistakes.
- •Sincerity is important in building strong friendships.
The state of being free from pretense or deceit
- •The sincerity of his apology was clear.
- •People appreciated the sincerity behind her actions.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "sincerity" like "truth" (A2 word), but about feelings and honesty in what you say or do, not just facts.
- ✓Picture a person looking you in the eyes and speaking without hiding anything, their face calm and open.
- ✓It's the feeling you get when a friend tells you how they really feel, without pretending or lying.
- ✓Sounds like "sin-SER-i-tee" → Imagine a sincere singer singing from the heart, not just repeating words.
- ✓Think of stories where a character wins trust because they speak sincerely, not with tricks or lies.
- ✓NOT like "pretend" (faking feelings), sincerity means real and honest feelings.
- ✓NOT like "polite" (which can be polite but not sincere), sincerity means honest even if it is not always nice.
- ✓NOT like "secret" (hidden), sincerity is open and clear.
Try Other Words
- •Genuineness: being real and true (Use when emphasizing that something is not fake or copied)
- •Truthfulness: telling the truth (Use when focusing on facts and honesty)
- •Authenticity: being real and original (Use when talking about true feelings or identity)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "sincer-" (root from Latin "sincerus" meaning clean, pure) + "-ity" (a suffix that turns an adjective into a noun meaning "quality of")
- •Etymology: From Latin "sinceritas," meaning purity or cleanness, later used for honesty and truth
- •Historical development: Originally meant pure or clean in a physical sense; over time, it came to mean pure in feelings and truthfulness
- •Modern usage: Used to describe honest feelings, true intentions, and genuine behavior
Reflect & Connect
•How can you tell if someone's words are spoken with sincerity or if they are just polite?
•Why is sincerity important in friendships and relationships?
Fill in the blanks
1.People show sincerity when they speak ___ from their heart without hiding anything.
2.An apology has sincerity if the person ___ truly sorry for what they did.
3.Sincerity is different from politeness because politeness can be ___ even if the person does not mean it.
4.When someone acts with sincerity, you can ___ that they are honest and genuine.
5.Sincerity often helps to ___ trust between people.
6.If someone pretends to care but does not, they lack ___.
7.In conversations, sincerity usually comes with clear ___ and honest feelings.