Standard Lemma guide

candid

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkæn.dɪd/ without æ-raising
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: [ˈkhæn.dɪd] without æ-raising
  • /ˈkeə̯n.dɪd/ æ-raising, General American, Canada
  • [ˈkeə̯n.dɪd] æ-raising, General American, Canada
  • /ˈkɛə̯n.dɪd/ æ-raising, General American, Canada
  • [ˈkɛə̯n.dɪd] æ-raising, General American, Canada
  • California, Southern: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˈkæn.dɪd/
  • Australian: [ˈkhæn.dɪd]
  • Australian: [ˈkheːn.dɪd] æ-raising
  • New-Zealand: /ˈkɛn.dəd/
  • New-Zealand: [ˈkhɛn.dəd]
  • rhymes with -ændɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: K AE1 N D AH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: K AE1 N D IH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Impartial and free from prejudice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unbiased, unprejudiced, candid, cold, clinical, detached, egal, equal, equitable, evenhanded, fairhanded, fair-minded, disinterested, dispassionate, impartial, imprejudicate, indifferent, indistinguishing, neuter, neutral, nonaligned, nonpartial, nonpartisan, nonpersonal, objective, unbigoted, uninterested, unpartial, unpartisan, unprepossessed

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Straightforward, open and sincere, whether people find either refreshing or distasteful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a surprisingly candid admission of guilt

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: frank, parrhesiastic, unreserved, outright, point-blank

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Unposed or rehearsed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Bright; white.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A spontaneous or unposed photograph.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • His portraits looked stiff and formal but his candids showed life being lived.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • blunt talking and straight shooting
  • a blunt New England farmer
  • I gave them my candid opinion
  • forthright criticism
  • a forthright approach to the problem
  • tell me what you think--and you may just as well be frank
  • it is possible to be outspoken without being rude
  • plainspoken and to the point
  • a point-blank accusation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blunt, forthright, frank, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his candid eyes
  • an open and trusting nature
  • a heart-to-heart talk

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: open, heart-to-heart

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

informal or natural; especially caught off guard or unprepared

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a candid photograph
  • a candid interview

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend-der. Proto-Italic *kandēō Latin candeō Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin candidusbor. English candid Borrowed from Latin candidus (“white”).

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: непредубеден (nepredubeden) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Bulgarian: безпристрастен (bezpristrasten) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Czech: přímý — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Czech: nestranný — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Czech: upřímný — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Dutch: neutraal — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Dutch: objectief — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Finnish: puolueeton — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Finnish: varaukseton — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Galician: imparcial — impartial and free from prejudice
  • German: unvoreingenommen — impartial and free from prejudice
  • German: vorurteilsfrei — impartial and free from prejudice
  • German: unparteiisch — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Hebrew: אוביקטיבי (obyektivi) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Hungarian: pártatlan — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Hungarian: elfogulatlan — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Macedonian: непри́страсен (neprístrasen) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Macedonian: беспри́страсен (besprístrasen) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Norwegian: fordomsfri — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Norwegian: upartisk — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Persian: منصفانه (monsefâne) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Portuguese: imparcial — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Russian: беспристрастный (bespristrastnyj) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Russian: непредвзятый (nepredvzjatyj) — impartial and free from prejudice
  • Bulgarian: искрен (iskren) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Bulgarian: честен (česten) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Bulgarian: откровен (otkroven) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Chinese Mandarin: 坦率 (tǎnshuài) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Czech: přímý — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Czech: otevřený — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Danish: oprigtig — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Dutch: eerlijk — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Dutch: spontaan — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Finnish: suora — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Finnish: avoin — straightforward, open and sincere
  • French: sincère — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Galician: franco — straightforward, open and sincere
  • German: freimütig — straightforward, open and sincere
  • German: offenherzig — straightforward, open and sincere
  • German: geradeheraus — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Hebrew: כנה (kene) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Macedonian: и́скрен (ískren) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Macedonian: че́сен (čésen) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Macedonian: о́творен (ótvoren) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Norwegian: oppriktig — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Persian: رک (rok) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Plautdietsch: frajch — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Portuguese: cândido — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Russian: открове́нный (otkrovénnyj) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Russian: откры́тый (otkrýtyj) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Russian: че́стный (čéstnyj) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Russian: и́скренний (ískrennij) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Spanish: franco — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Spanish: cándido — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Swedish: uppriktig — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Thai: เปิดอก — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Ukrainian: відве́ртий (vidvértyj) — straightforward, open and sincere
  • Bulgarian: естествен (estestven) — not posed or rehearsed
  • Czech: upřímný — not posed or rehearsed
  • Czech: nepřetvařující se — not posed or rehearsed
  • Czech: spontánní — not posed or rehearsed
  • Czech: přirozený — not posed or rehearsed
  • Dutch: spontaan — not posed or rehearsed
  • Finnish: spontaani — not posed or rehearsed
  • Finnish: välitön — not posed or rehearsed
  • French: spontané — not posed or rehearsed
  • Galician: espontáneo — not posed or rehearsed
  • German: ungestellt — not posed or rehearsed
  • German: spontan — not posed or rehearsed
  • German: nicht eingeübt — not posed or rehearsed
  • Hungarian: spontán — not posed or rehearsed
  • Hungarian: véletlenszerű — not posed or rehearsed
  • Macedonian: при́роден (príroden) — not posed or rehearsed
  • Macedonian: е́стествен (éstestven) — not posed or rehearsed
  • Norwegian: oppriktig — not posed or rehearsed
  • Portuguese: sincero — not posed or rehearsed
  • Russian: есте́ственный (jestéstvennyj) — not posed or rehearsed
  • Finnish: salakuva — A spontaneous or unposed photograph
  • Macedonian: слика (slika) — A spontaneous or unposed photograph
  • Macedonian: фо́тка f фотогра́фија (fótka) — A spontaneous or unposed photograph
  • Russian: естественная фотогра́фия (jestestvennaja) — A spontaneous or unposed photograph