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Dictionary definition: bona fide
- Article from:
- The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information)
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bona fide.
A.
And
good-faith
, adj.
Bona fide
, adj., is understood by educated speakers of English; as a legal term, it is unlikely to give way completely to
good-faith
, adj.
B.
Adjective or Adverb.
Bona fide
was originally adverbial, meaning “in good faith” <the suit was brought bona fide>. Today it is more commonly used <it was a bona fide suit>. The phrase is sometimes hyphenated when functioning as a
phrasal adjective
.
C.
Meaning “genuine, authentic.”
The adjective
bona fide
is best avoided in the sense ...