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.
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Psychoanalysis licensed his candor, but the audience didn’t always join him on the couch.
—David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
That same candor felt palpable in the hair and makeup trailer, where show veterans Zena Green and Kimi Messina told me mid-glamification that many of the male contestants opt for body makeup to contour their abs.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
The request may be unusual for leaders not familiar with the candor of the younger generation, but the boss approved it without question.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 5 Nov. 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 15 Nov. 2025.
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