bona fide
adjective
ˈbä-
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Bona fide means "in good faith" in Latin. When applied to business deals and the like, it stresses the absence of fraud or deception. A bona fide sale of securities is an entirely aboveboard transaction. Outside of business and law, bona fide implies mere sincerity and earnestness. A bona fide promise is one that the person has every intention of keeping. A bona fide proposal of marriage is one made by a suitor who isn't kidding around. Bona fide also has the noun form bona fides; when someone asks about someone else's bona fides, it usually means evidence of their qualifications or achievements.
Examples of bona fide in a Sentence
Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Not just fringe players, but bona fide stars and impact types.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
From 1935 to 1938, Temple was the biggest box office draw in the world, filling more seats in theaters than leading man Clark Gable and bona fide superstars like Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo.
—Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 28 Mar. 2025
Time magazine, after all, has turned its Person of the Year and Time 100 list as bona fide franchises, and has had success pushing into film and TV production.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bona fide
Cite this Entry
“Bona fide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bona%20fide. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bona fide
adjective
ˈbä-nə-
Legal Definition
bona fide
adjective
Latin, in good faith
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