Genuine — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Genuine (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. being exactly as appears or as claimed

   "had a genuine van Gogh hanging in their living room"

   similar: authentic, bona fide, certifiable, certified, dinkum (Australian & New Zealand), echt, honest, pukka, real, right, sure-enough, true, for real
   related: actual, historical, original, lawful, legal, legitimate, identifiable, recognizable, verifiable, proven, substantiated, validated, verified, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, irrefutable, undeniable, undoubted, unmistakable, unquestionable, veritable, very, accurate, correct, proper, pure, unadulterated, unalloyed
   opposite: bogus, counterfeit, fake, false, mock, phony, pseudo, sham, spurious, suppositious, supposititious, unauthentic, unreal
   near: artificial, factitious, imitation, man-made, simulated, synthetic, unnatural, concocted, fabricated, manufactured, deceptive, delusive, delusory, misleading

2. free from any intent to deceive or impress others

   "genuine compliments about her boss's flair for fashion"

   similar: artless, guileless, honest, ingenuous, innocent, naive, natural, real, simple, sincere, true, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious, on the level
   related: childlike, dewy-eyed, gee-whiz, impressionable, inexperienced, malleable, persuadable, persuasible, simpleminded, unsophisticated, unworldly, wide-eyed, spontaneous, unforced, unstudied, candid, direct, frank, free, free-spoken, open, openhearted, plain, plainspoken, single-minded, straight, straightforward, unguarded, trustful, trusting, exploitable, gullible, susceptible, unwary
   opposite: affected, artful, artificial, assuming, dishonest, dissembling, dissimulating, fake, false, guileful, insincere, phony, pretentious
   near: critical, cynical, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, wary, cosmopolitan, sophisticated, worldly, worldly-wise, civilized, cultivated, cultured, polished, refined, crooked, deceitful, deceptive, devious, double-dealing, hypocritical, manipulative, two-faced, arch, calculating, canny, crafty, cunning, designing, foxy, knavish, scheming, sharp, shifty, shrewd, slick, slippery, sly, subtle, tricky, underhanded, wily, flattering, mealymouthed, smooth, sycophantic, unctuous, feigned, forced, strained

3. existing in fact and not merely as a possibility

   "there's genuine value in learning how to do household repairs on one's own"

   similar: actual, concrete, de facto, effective, existent, factual, real, sure-enough, true, very
   related: attested, authenticated, confirmed, demonstrated, established, proven, substantiated, valid, validated, verified, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, inescapable, irrefutable, undeniable, unquestionable, believable, convincing, literal, realistic, unmistakable, verifiable, authentic, bona fide, real-life, real-world, absolute, certain, final, hard, objective, palpable, positive, substantial, tangible, authoritative, certifiable, certified
   opposite: conjectural, hypothetical, ideal, inexistent, nonexistent, platonic, possible, potential, suppositional, theoretical
   near: alleged, assumed, reputed, supposed, conceived, envisaged, envisioned, imagined, pictured, visualized, chimerical, fabled, fanciful, fictional, fictitious, illusory, legendary, fabricated, fake, imaginary, invented, made-up, make-believe, pretend, romantic, abstract, symbolic, unreal, virtual