Meaning & use
sincerest
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“sincerest” is a form of “sincere”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
The most honest and heartfelt of all.
Grammar: Superlative of sincere; used before a noun, often in my sincerest thanks.
Patterns
- my sincerest apologies
- sincerest thanks
Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay.
We offer our sincerest condolences to the family.
She expressed her sincerest gratitude to the volunteers.
Common combinations
- sincerest apologies
- We extend our sincerest apologies for the mistake.
- sincerest thanks
- The mayor offered her sincerest thanks.
- sincerest condolences
- Our sincerest condolences go out to you.
- sincerest wishes
- With sincerest wishes for your recovery.
- sincerest form of flattery
- They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heartfelt
- Heartfelt stresses deep emotion, while sincerest stresses honesty in the highest degree.
- genuine
- Genuine means real and not fake and is less tied to polite expressions.
- earnest
- Earnest suggests serious and intense feeling, sometimes with a trace of solemnity.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sincerest or sincerely?
sincerest vs sincerely
Sincerely is the adverb, used to end letters; sincerest is the adjective used before nouns like thanks.
Practice
Please accept our ____ thanks for your generous donation.
Choose one answer.
An adjective is needed before the noun thanks, and sincerest is the superlative. Sincerely is an adverb and cannot modify a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sincerest”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.