Candor
Performance reviews people actually thank you for, friends who flag the spinach in your teeth, and memos with no padding all run on this noun.
Learn This WordMeaning
Frank, open honesty in speech; saying what you truly think.
Memory trick
CANDOR shines like a candle: Latin candere means to shine, so candor = shining honesty.
Examples
She answered with total candor: the project was behind and needed help.
The review’s candor stung, but it told him exactly what to fix.
Voters reward candor in speeches and punish it in interviews.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin candor "whiteness, purity, sincerity," from candere "to shine, be white."
Usage Notes
American spelling; British English writes "candour." Valued in feedback, memoir, and interviews.
Real-life contexts
Request honesty: "I want your candor, not your politeness."
Praise openness: "Her candor made the whole meeting useful."
Describe writing: "The memoir’s candor is why it works."
Common Mistakes
Candor is honesty without hostility. Bluntness that wounds is not automatically candor.
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Start LearningQuick Facts
Part of Speech
noun
Difficulty
intermediateMonthly Searches
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