SKIP TO CONTENT

candid

/ˈkændəd/
/ˈkændɪd/
IPA guide

Other forms: candidest

Straightforward and truthful talk might be described with the adjective candid. If you're always candid, your parents will know that they can trust you.

A serious-minded politician might suggest engaging in a "candid discussion" about a complicated topic like health care or the environment, because candid means "open" or "frank." Remember that TV show Candid Camera? It was called that because its hidden cameras supposedly showed a candid view of reality. In photography, candid has become a noun meaning "an unposed photo." The word comes from Latin candidus, meaning "white," which was later extended to mean "pure." Candid talk provides the pure, unvarnished truth.

Definitions of candid
  1. adjective
    openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness
    “his candid eyes”
    synonyms: heart-to-heart, open
    artless, ingenuous
    characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious
  2. adjective
    characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
    “I gave them my candid opinion”
    direct
    straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action
  3. adjective
    informal or natural; especially caught off guard or unprepared
    “a candid photograph”
    “a candid interview”
    synonyms:
    uncontrived, unstudied
    not by design or artifice; unforced and impromptu
Pronunciation
US
/ˈkændəd/
UK
/ˈkændɪd/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘candid'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family