Candor / Candour (Word of the Day, 2009/8/19)

by Grace Lee

Candor/Candour(n)

►the quality of saying what you think openly and honestly

►synonym：Frankness

-- “I don’t trust him,” he said, in a rare moment of candor.

--He talked with unusual candor.

1a. whiteness, brilliance

--The sun poured with a more golden candor.(Christopher Morley)

1b. obs.：unstained purity and innocence

--a young prince of valor and candor

2. disposition to open mindedness：freedom free bias, prejudice and malice：FAIRNESS, IMPARTIALITY

--A heavy accusation …from a gentleman of your talents, liberality, and candor.(Noah Webster)

3. archaic：KINDLINESS

--candor in pardoning errors

4. unreserved, honest, or sincere expression：FRANKNESS CANDIDNESS

--The candor with which he acknowledged a weakness in his own case.

--Candor and courtesy, the desire to please and perfect openness, are mutually inimical.(W.C. Brownell)

Candid(Adj.)

►saying what you think openly and honestly; not hiding your thoughts

--A candid statement /interview

--To be candid, I don't like your hairstyle.

--This is really a candid decision.

►a candid photograph is one that is taken without the person in it knowing that they are being photographed.

►Candid camera

►synonym：Frank

1. white

--A welding blast of candid flame(E.C. Stedman)

2. free from bias, prejudice, or malice：marked by concern for truth and justice：fairly disposed：DISINTERESTED, FAIR, JUST

--In the back of his candid mind…he knew that ….the charged against him were true.(Irwin Edman)

3. archaic：free from stain：CLEAR, PURE

4a. marked by honest sincere expression：uttered or given out as fair and unbiased：free from expedient reservation and modification

--To tell you my private and candid opinion…I think he’s a man from the other camp.

4b. indicating or suggesting sincere honestly and absence of deception and duplicity

--His candid eyes took on an expression of genuine sympathy.(Archibald Marashell)

4c. performed, expressed, or acknowledged without concealment or reservation

--her eyes burning with a candid excitement(Edith Wharton)

4d. disposed to criticize severely：BLUNT, FORTH-RIGHT

--as a leader…I have never lacked candid critics in my own ranks.(Clement Attlee)

5. relating to photograph or other presentation or recording of subjects acting naturally informally, or spontaneously without being posed, rehearsed, or inhibited

--a candid picture

--a candid microphone interview

--candid camera

a. usu. small camera equipped with a fast lens and used for taking informal photographs of unposed subjects often without their acknowledge

b. a miniature camera

candor (n)

Candidly (adv.) In a candid manner

Candidness (n) the quality or state of being candid