First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
candor
noun can·dor \ˈkan-dər, -ˌdȯr\
: the quality of being open, sincere, and honest
Full Definition of CANDOR
1
a : whiteness, brilliance b obsolete : unstained purity
3
archaic : kindliness
4
: unreserved, honest, or sincere expression : forthrightness <the candor with which he acknowledged a weakness in his own case — Aldous Huxley>
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Examples of CANDOR
- But a more subtle, and perhaps the most powerful, quality in the Senator's arsenal of attractions is an unrelenting candor that verges on self-reproach … —Joe Klein, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2002
- People are human; they are fallible. I concede with painful candor and a heavy heart that the adage applies to me and to my generation of American leadership regarding Vietnam. —Robert S. McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995
- … thoughtful critics lamented what they designated Roosevelt's deviousness, his lack of candor … —Doris Kearns Goodwin, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 1994
- One hardly knows which to admire more, the candor of the author or the forbearance of his wife and his buddy, who somehow manage to refrain from cuffing him smartly upside the head. —Jay McInerney, New York Times Book Review, 31 Mar. 1991
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Origin of CANDOR
French & Latin; French candeur, from Latin candor, from candēre — more at candid
Related to CANDOR
CANDOR Defined for Kids
candor
noun can·dor \ˈkan-dər\
Definition of CANDOR for Kids
: sincere and honest expression <She spoke with candor about the problem.>
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