CANDORS Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

candor

noun

ˈkan-dər

Definition of candor

as in honesty

the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions an interview in which the members of the rock band speak with candor about their recent squabbling

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in brilliance

the quality or state of having or giving off light the desert sun shone down on the intrepid travelers with fiery candor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of candor Their growing romance is often shot in tight close-ups meant to communicate candor and attraction. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026 Commentary could be a natural fit for a gold medalist in the World Juniors and IIHF World Championship known for his candor. — Eric Stephens, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 In each of the show’s 11 episodes, Jones arrives at a California rental bedeviled by bad reviews and delivers constructive criticism with the candor of a stand-up comedian. — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2026 There’s a certain grim candor about the president’s palatial ambitions for the executive mansion. — Jason Willick, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for candor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for candor

Noun

That honesty is what turns AI from an experiment into something the business can trust.

— Matt Waxman, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Her raw honesty in West End Girl likely led to the album’s widespread positive reception, Allen said.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of honesty

Noun

Luxe Dominoes boxes are made from a single piece of acrylic that's heated, folded and then flame-polished to give the sets unique brilliance – treated more like glass than acrylic.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Success doesn’t come from one‑time brilliance, but from repeatable processes.

— Alec Litowitz, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of brilliance

Noun

Cox’s script, meanwhile, trades increasingly in one-size-fits-all therapy speak, and despite Qualley’s natural sincerity as a performer, Maya seems steadily less specific a personality as the years pass.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Like Warhol, Rouy makes work balancing on the razor’s edge between sincerity and cynicism.

— David Lê, Curbed, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of sincerity

Noun

While the telescope’s Galactic Bulge survey is designed to primarily search for microlensing events, Roman will also repeatedly measure the brightness of hundreds of millions of stars along the way.

— Thomas Fauchez, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
However, at infrared wavelengths the brightness of an object is dependent mostly on its size, allowing accurate determinations of the diameters of the 27 TNOs.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of brightness

Noun

And the frankness underlying their oddly dorky connection also paints any potential relationship between them as tragic from the jump.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
Written with grimy, enlivening frankness — and an ability to dig into moral ambiguity — every character scrambles to get a leg up.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of frankness

Noun

Greatest brilliancy marks the sweet spot between the two, when Venus' apparent size and shrinking phase combine to give us the greatest apparent area of illuminated Venus in our sky.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2026
The result is an incredible repository of vexations, bafflements, witticisms, and brilliancies.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Definition of brilliancy

Noun

Palace missed Sarr’s directness, with summer signing Dwight McNeil, Eddie Nketiah and Mateta not showing a full understanding.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Marius, approaching 50, is a big doctor in this provincial city, not just a surgeon but the director of the hospital, and a man who prides himself on his directness and honesty.

— Jay Weissberg, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of directness

Noun

While the film’s logline hints at something a bit darker — a young woman makes her way through the rarefied world of New York literary mags in the years before #MeToo is even a glimmer — there’s a real lightness to the final film.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Gloria somehow held the urgency of it all without ever losing her lightness.

— Emma Watson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of lightness

Browse Nearby Words

candles

candor

candy

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Candor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/candor. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of candor

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

churlish

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes