as in honesty
the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions
candidness is something that we claim to admire—except when we are on the receiving end of a brutally honest assessment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of candidness
Praised for her dry candidness and direct attitude online, Bethenny Frankel isn’t one to fall victim to a viral trend or product trap.
—
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
The world sees the behavior but rarely the illness behind it; this is what makes Gucci’s candidness about his journey so critical.
—Essence, 23 Oct. 2025
Such welcome candidness to questions of spirituality is enough to move even a resolute non-believer like me.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
The candidness and vulnerability became the catalyst for her memoir, Cancer Is Complicated, out Tuesday.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2025
But his open criticism of Ohtani, one of the most popular and talented baseball players in history, marked a rare candidness from the manager.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
The world sees the behavior but rarely the illness behind it; this is what makes Gucci’s candidness about his journey so critical.
—Essence, 23 Oct. 2025
Such welcome candidness to questions of spirituality is enough to move even a resolute non-believer like me.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
The candidness and vulnerability became the catalyst for her memoir, Cancer Is Complicated, out Tuesday.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2025
But his open criticism of Ohtani, one of the most popular and talented baseball players in history, marked a rare candidness from the manager.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for candidness
Noun
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The reshoots have even made some cinephiles question the honesty of their favorite critics.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
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Jesús, from a sense of honesty, truth, authenticity and Luis has that and incredible actor’s technique.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What skills — care, competence, sincerity, and reliability — are needed to strengthen the trust in these relationships?—
Colin Bedell,
Them.,
28 Oct. 2025
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Grow your visibility by sharing with sincerity.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The recording of that release as depicted in the documentary is the balancing light to the overwhelming dark Osbourne experienced in his later years, a series of illnesses, hospitalizations, frustrations and ceaseless pain shown with unblinking frankness.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
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Collier, who was injured during the playoff series, read from a prepared statement that shocked everyone watching—if not for its contents, for its frankness.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Her candor hasn’t been dented—this is a woman who clearly feels and cares deeply about the world.—
Helen Mirren,
Glamour,
27 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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For parents, the name of the game is forthrightness.—
Nona Han,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Radha asked, with the directness of a doctor’s child.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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Pace was central to everything good about Forest, who were set up to hit opposition with explosive speed and directness on the counter-attack through players such as Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In films like that, the cultural commentary comes more from metaphor than with the bluntness and directness of The Purge.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
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There’s been a bluntness all season to the Hermits’ chats that ordinarily might grate on me.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Candidness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/candidness. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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