Meaning & use
sincere
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Truly meaning what you say or feel, with no pretending or hidden motive.
Grammar: Can go before a noun (a sincere apology) or after be: she seemed sincere.
Patterns
- sincere in something
- a sincere apology
- be sincere about something
He offered a sincere apology for missing the party.
Her sincere interest in the project won the team over.
Are you sincere about wanting to move abroad?
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Showing real, honest feeling, as in good wishes, thanks or sympathy expressed to someone.
Grammar: Common in fixed phrases such as sincere thanks or sincere condolences.
Patterns
- sincere thanks
- sincere condolences
- sincere congratulations
Please accept our sincere thanks for your help.
We send our sincere condolences to the family.
He offered sincere congratulations on her promotion.
Word forms
| comparative | more sincere |
|---|---|
| superlative | most sincere |
Common combinations
- sincere apology
- The company issued a sincere apology.
- sincere thanks
- Sincere thanks to everyone who helped.
- sincere belief
- He held a sincere belief in fairness.
- sincere effort
- It was a sincere effort to fix the problem.
- truly sincere
- She seemed truly sincere.
Synonyms and how they differ
- genuine
- Genuine can describe real things as well as honest people, while sincere is used mainly for feelings and words.
- honest
- Honest stresses telling the truth, whereas sincere stresses meaning what you say or feel.
- heartfelt
- Heartfelt means deeply felt from the heart, and is warmer than the more general sincere.
- earnest
- Earnest suggests serious, determined purpose, and can feel more intense than sincere.
Opposites
Word family
- sincerely adverb
- in an honest way, also used to end letters
- sincerity noun
- the quality of being honest in feeling
- insincere adjective
- not meaning what you say
- insincerity noun
- lack of honesty in feeling
Commonly confused: sincere or serious?
sincere vs serious
Serious means not joking or important, while sincere means honestly felt; a person can be serious without being sincere.
Practice
I could tell her apology was ____, because she looked genuinely sorry and offered to pay for the damage.
Choose one answer.
Sincere means honestly felt, which fits the evidence of real regret. Insincere says the opposite, and sensible or sensitive describe different qualities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sincere”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.