Candid, Disingenuous, and Duplicitous

Recognize words that describe degrees of honesty in speakers and writers.

When you analyze speakers, characters, or sources, you often need to judge honesty. Candid means frank and open, even when the truth is uncomfortable; it comes from Latin candidus, 'white' or 'pure. ' Disingenuous means not sincere, especially pretending to know less or care more than one actually does. Duplicitous means deliberately deceptive, playing a double game; from Latin duplex, 'twofold. ' Worked example: a company spokesperson says, 'We had no idea the product was unsafe,' though internal emails show executives discussed the danger.

The statement is disingenuous, because it feigns ignorance. If the company was also publicly praising safety while privately cutting safety testing, its conduct was duplicitous. By contrast, a manager who says, 'We made a serious mistake and here is what we knew,' is being candid. These words carry strong judgments, so use them only when the evidence supports them.

• 1Candid: frank and open.
• 2Disingenuous: insincere, often feigning ignorance.
• 3Duplicitous: deliberately deceptive, playing a double game.