candeur

candor, innocence

noun kahn-DUHR Rare

Origin: from Latin 'candor' (whiteness, purity)

Usage Note

Candeur describes a pure, naive sincerity — a quality often associated with children or the idealistic. It differs from franchise (frankness) in that it implies an endearing guilelessness rather than bluntness. The adjective is candide, famously the name of Voltaire's famously naive protagonist.

Examples

"Elle répondit avec une candeur désarmante."

Natural Translation

She replied with a disarming candor.

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