Unsincere

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not truly felt or meant, lacking the genuine honesty of real emotion or belief
2. Describing a person or statement whose stated feelings do not match what they actually think or feel
3. Marked by pretense or hypocrisy, showing feelings or intentions that are false or put on for show

Etymology: "Unsincere" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "sincere". The prefix is one of English's most productive, and it was attached to many adjectives borrowed from Latin and French, so the pattern here is ordinary rather than surprising. "Sincere" came into English from French "sincère" or directly from Latin "sincerus", which meant "clean", "pure", or "unmixed", and was used of things such as unadulterated wine or undamaged goods. From that physical sense of wholeness came the figurative sense of being genuine and free of pretence, which is the sense that "unsincere" negates.

Synonyms: insincere, dishonest, hypocritical, disingenuous, false

Antonyms: sincere, genuine, honest