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
• legal
• very
• pukka
• identifiable
• 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

Miley Cyrus’s Something Beautiful album rollout has been nothing short of a bona fide fashion fest. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 5 June 2025

Hughes is a bona fide superstar making less than $8 million against the cap for two more seasons. —Harman Dayal, New York Times, 15 June 2025

In this alternate reality, the whole of Los Angeles is a bona fide war zone. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025

There is plenty of talent at the position in New England, but none of them are bona fide stars. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025