Synonyms of bona fide

bona fide

adjective

ˈbō-nə-ˌfīd 

as in authentic

being exactly as appears or as claimed

a bona fide war hero

Synonyms & Similar Words

• authentic
• true
• honest
• real
• genuine
• for real
• original
• actual
• certified
• unmistakable
• historical
• certifiable
• right
• pure
• sure-enough
• pucka
• legitimate
• identifiable
• legal
• very
• pukka
• lawful
• dinkum
• echt
• accurate
• recognizable
• validated
• verifiable
• proven
• unquestionable
• irrefutable
• correct
• incontrovertible
• indisputable
• proper
• incontestable
• undeniable
• undoubted
• veritable
• substantiated
• indubitable
• verified
• unadulterated
• unalloyed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• false
• unreal
• fake
• mock
• pseudo
• phony
• artificial
• counterfeit
• synthetic
• bogus
• spurious
• imitation
• sham
• simulated
• phoney
• unauthentic
• unnatural
• supposititious
• manufactured
• factitious
• suppositious
• fabricated
• misleading
• deceptive
• man-made
• concocted
• delusive
• delusory

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bona fide contrast with its synonyms?

The words authentic and genuine are common synonyms of bona fide. While all three words mean "being actually and exactly what is claimed," bona fide implies good faith and sincerity of intention.

a bona fide offer for the stock

When is authentic a more appropriate choice than bona fide?

The meanings of authentic and bona fide largely overlap; however, authentic implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact; it can also stress painstaking or faithful imitation of an original.

an authentic account of the perilous journey

an authentic reproduction

authentic Vietnamese cuisine

When could genuine be used to replace bona fide?

The synonyms genuine and bona fide are sometimes interchangeable, but genuine implies actual character not counterfeited, imitated, or adulterated; it also connotes definite origin from a source.

genuine piety

genuine maple syrup

a genuine Mark Twain autograph

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bona fide

The other three movies to take home the top documentary honor are bona fide classics, with the most recent example being Man on Wire, which tells the story of Philippe Petit’s daring 1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. —Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

Back then, hardly anyone thought of a woman as a bona fide business partner. —Lynne Agress, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025

There is no one in the Rays’ lineup that scares anyone, nor is there a bona fide No. 1 on their pitching staff. —Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025

The film's ending is a bona fide bloodbath, leaving the majority of the ensemble riddled with bullets. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025