Aldous HuxleyChristoper Morley
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Candor comes from Latin candēre, meaning "to shine or glow." That origin is reflected in the word's early uses referring to brightness or unstained purity and innocence, which are the sources of today's familiar use of candor for unquestionably honest expression.
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Candor: It Can Be Refreshing
Candor, related to the adjective candid, refers to straightforward honesty or frankness in speech or expression. The fact that it is frequently preceded by the adjective refreshing suggests that it is often unexpected, a shift from guarded or euphemistic language:
This is perhaps the busiest and craziest time of the year for device-case maker Brian Holmes, and he told me today with refreshing candor that “I am about to lose my mind.”
Julio Ojeda-Zapata, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 9 Sept. 2016They are openly afraid of starting a family and making mistakes, and this refreshing candor between characters is what makes the show one of the best rom-coms on TV.
Julia Edelman, People, 8 Apr. 2016
Examples of candor in a Sentence
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
She spoke with candor about racism.
I was impressed by the candor of his statement.
Audra Heinrichs, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
Yet in one moment of candor, Mullin said the rollercoaster style of governance that has defined the House over the last couple of years, with narrow margins fostering dysfunction for the GOP, has been enough to dampen his love for the chamber.
—David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Mar. 2025
The candor with which Green speaks, both on his podcast and in his interviews with basketball media, is refreshing.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
Anderson’s comment section was flooded with positive feedback, with many people praising her candor.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for candor
Cite this Entry
“Candor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/candor. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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