MEPX
Chapter 6 of 11All chapters
  1. 1How to learn a word
  2. 2Roots and affixes
  3. 3Time and presence
  4. 4Attitude and stance
  5. 5Care and precision
  6. 6Honesty and openness
  7. 7Surplus and shortage
  8. 8Change and stability
  9. 9Importance and scale
  10. 10Pairs people mix up
  11. 11Register and tone

Chapter 6 of 11

Honesty and openness

Candid, frank, disingenuous.

The words

Candid means open and direct, and the photographic sense of unposed grew from it. Frank is close but blunter. Disingenuous means pretending to be honest while hiding a motive.

  • Candid feedback is honest, not harsh.
  • Disingenuous is a serious accusation: it says the speaker knows better.

Nearby

Forthright means willing to speak plainly, and ingenuous, without the dis-, means innocently open. Ingenuous and ingenious look alike and mean entirely different things.