bona fide

adjective bo·na fide \ˈbō-nə-ˌfīd, ˈbä-; ˌbō-nə-ˈfī-dē, -ˈfī-də\

: real or genuine

law : made or done in an honest and sincere way

Full Definition of BONA FIDE

: made in good faith without fraud or deceit <a bona fide offer to buy a farm>

: made with earnest intent : sincere

: neither specious nor counterfeit : genuine

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Origin of BONA FIDE

Latin, literally, in good faith

First Known Use: 1632

Related to BONA FIDE

Synonyms: authentic, certifiable, certified, dinkum [Australian & New Zealand], echt, genuine, honest, pukka (also pucka), real, right, sure-enough, true

Antonyms: bogus, counterfeit, fake, false, mock, phony (also phoney), pseudo, sham, spurious, suppositious, supposititious, unauthentic, unreal

Synonym Discussion of BONA FIDE

authentic, genuine, bona fide mean being actually and exactly what is claimed. authentic implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact <an authentic account of the perilous journey>; it can also stress painstaking or faithful imitation of an original <an authentic reproduction> <authentic Vietnamese cuisine>. genuine implies actual character not counterfeited, imitated, or adulterated <genuine piety> <genuine maple syrup>; it also connotes definite origin from a source <a genuine Mark Twain autograph>. bona fide implies good faith and sincerity of intention <a bona fide offer for the stock>.