Anthony FaiolaChristopher Morley
Did you know?
The Latin verb candēre, meaning “to shine or glow,” has illuminated the English lexicon for centuries. It’s given us familiar words such as candle, candid, and candidate, as well as less common terms like candela (a unit of luminous intensity) and candescent (“glowing or dazzling from or as if from great heat”). Candor, another candēre descendant, arrived in English in the 14th century. In its earliest uses it referred to brightness or unstained purity and innocence; today, you’re most likely to encounter candor as a word for unquestionably honest expression.
Did you know?
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.
Helen Mirren, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
For Bondi, the challenge now is restoring credibility with the judiciary and reaffirming the department’s duty of candor.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Her optimism and candor reached far beyond her social media.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
The commentary and candor reflected in these conversations are an indication of the types of new narratives that can and will take center stage as female athletes begin to have more ownership and autonomy.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 13 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2025.
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