bona fide

UK /ˌbəʊnəˈfaɪdi/ US /ˈboʊnəˌfaɪd/ Syllables: bo-na fi-de

Pronunciation

Adjective B1 Intermediate Formal

Genuine and real, not fake or fraudulent.

Bona fide describes something that is genuine, real and not fake. A bona fide offer is one made in good faith with real intent. A bona fide expert has real qualifications. The phrase is borrowed from Latin and means in good faith. Close words are genuine, authentic, real, legitimate and sincere. The opposite is fake, bogus, counterfeit or fraudulent. It is often used in legal, business and formal writing, where it means honest and without trickery, as in a bona fide buyer. In casual speech it simply means the real thing, as in a bona fide hero. Say it as BOH-nuh FY-dee or BOH-nuh-fyd. It is written as two words, and a common mistake is the spelling bonafied.

"She showed her badge to prove she was a bona fide police officer."

Meanings

Genuine and real, not fake.
Done in good faith, without deception or fraud.

Example sentences

"She made a bona fide offer for the house."

Level B2, Meaning 2
"He is a bona fide expert on bridges."

Level B2, Meaning 1
"The charity must prove that it is a bona fide organization."

Level C1, Meaning 2
"This is a bona fide emergency, so please call the doctor."

Level B1, Meaning 1

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

genuine authentic

Antonyms

fake fraudulent

Look-alikes and common mistakes

genuine : Genuine is the everyday word. Bona fide is more formal and is often legal.
bona fides : Bona fides, in the plural, means a person's honest credentials or good faith. Bona fide is the adjective.
bonafied : Bonafied is a common misspelling. Write bona fide, with an e at the end of fide.
mala fide : Mala fide means in bad faith. It is the opposite of bona fide.

Word family and forms

bona fides mala fide

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "bona fide".

a bona fide offer
a bona fide buyer
a bona fide reason
a bona fide member
a bona fide emergency
a bona fide expert

Origin

Bona fide is an unchanged borrowing from Latin, where it means in good faith. It is the ablative form of bona fides, good faith. English has used the phrase since the 1500s.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

A Latin phrase meaning "in good faith," commonly used in legal and everyday English alike.

How to remember it

Bona is Latin for good and fide is Latin for faith. Bona fide means in good faith, so honest and real.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "She made a _____ offer for the house."

Answer: bona fide

In your own words, what does "bona fide" mean?