What Does The Word 'Candid' Mean And How Do You Use It Correctly In A Sentence?

The word candid means sincerely outspoken, it can also mean free from reserve, honest and impartial. It comes from the latin Candidaus, which means shining white and makes the allusion to whiteness, unblemished truth, a comparison between unblemished whitenessness and the clean truth.

You could use it in a question such as:

May I be candid about my feelings towards Miss Jones?

Or in a statement:

To be candid, I hate Mr Green, he is feckless and immoral.

Or in a reply

Yes, the young man was candid about his feelings towards me.

It is a great word and much underused.  There was a television programme from the US called Candid Camera that was the first real hidden camera wind up show.  Candid in this sense meant that the adage the camera sees all was true, because people behaved with utmost truth and sincerity when they believed the circumstances were real.

Use candid as a complex sentence

Completely honest, straightforward