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

Examples of bona fide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The movie has become a bona fide classic, thanks partly to cameos by entertainment veterans like Mel Brooks, Daryl Hannah and Reba McEntire, but mainly for the hilarious child actors who portrayed the rascals. —Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 5 Aug. 2024

Loading your audio article MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins nose tackle Benito Jones has made the jump from undrafted player and practice squad member of the past for the Dolphins to a bona fide starter in the NFL with the Detroit Lions last year. —David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024

The process, called a bona fide determination, can also protect the applicant from deportation. —Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2024

Chappell Roan is a bona fide pop star who’s cemented her place in the canon. —Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2024