insincere

adjective

in·​sin·​cere ˌin-sin-ˈsir How to pronounce insincere (audio)
-sən-
: not sincere : hypocritical
insincerely adverb
insincerity
ˌin-sin-ˈser-ə-tē How to pronounce insincere (audio)
 also  -ˈsir-
noun

Examples of insincere in a Sentence

He said he was sorry, but I could tell that he was being insincere. the insincere compliments of a spiteful gossip
Recent Examples on the Web But even those reactionaries to the shifting sensibilities are poised to arrive late at the party or have their shifts come across as insincere or forced to wear the scarlet letter of sellout. Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 There’s no reason to believe Harbaugh is being insincere in his desire to see athletes start to get a cut of the massive (and growing) revenues generated by college football. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2024 While some of this correspondence included serious insights about the murders, it is thought that most was written by insincere individuals who wrongly identified themselves as the murderer. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 This gave the appearance that Anheuser-Busch was insincere—despite 25 years of being active in the LGBTQ community—and the promotion purely transactional in nature. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 27 Dec. 2023 Peer past the insincere marketing, though, and Gemini remains an impressive feat. IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2023 As a cultural expression, excessive and elaborate thanks can sometimes be read in Ukraine as insincere, analysts said. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023 Union officials suggested the effort was insincere and too little, too late. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2023 When uncivil obedience is used, its critics can frame such behavior as unprecedented, dangerous and insincere. Kristina M. Lee, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'insincere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin insincerus, from in- + sincerus sincere

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of insincere was in 1634

Dictionary Entries Near insincere

Cite this Entry

“Insincere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insincere. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

insincere

adjective
in·​sin·​cere ˌin(t)-sin-ˈsi(ə)r How to pronounce insincere (audio)
: not sincere : hypocritical
insincerely adverb
insincerity
-ˈser-ət-ē How to pronounce insincere (audio)
 also  -ˈsir-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on insincere

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