insincere

/ˌɪnsɪnˈsɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪnsɪnˈsɪr/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-sin-ˈsir -sən-/ (ame, mw)

insincere — adjective

  • insincerepositive
  • more insincerecomparative
  • most insinceresuperlative

1. showing feelings or saying things that are not what you truly think or feel, so

1.形容詞B2
釋義

showing feelings or saying things that are not what you truly think or feel, so that others doubt your honesty

例句

Theo's praise of his rival's work sounded insincere to everyone who heard it.

linking verb + insincere (sound)

Leila gave an insincere smile when her colleague won the award she had hoped for.

attributive use: insincere + noun (smile)

同義詞
  • disingenuous

    more formal; suggests someone is cleverly hiding their true intentions rather than merely being dishonest

  • hypocritical

    stronger moral judgment; implies a person claims to have higher standards than they actually follow

  • two-faced

    informal; describes someone who says different things to different people about the same topic

  • fake

    more informal and broader in scope; can describe objects as well as people

反義詞
  • sincere

    the direct opposite; genuine in feeling and expression

  • genuine

    emphasises that feelings or actions are real and not pretended

  • honest

    focuses on truthfulness in what one says rather than in emotions

文法句型

be / sound / seem / feel + insincere

insincere + noun (apology, praise, smile, compliment)

用法筆記

Frequently occurs after linking verbs (sound, seem, feel, appear). Unlike fake, which can describe objects, insincere applies only to people and what they say or do.

常見錯誤

❌His smile looked unsincere.
✅His smile looked insincere.
💡The negative prefix for sincere is always in-, never un-.