true intentions
6
4.3
- noun
:
verdaderas intenciones
- She was suspicious of his actions because she believed he hid his true intentions behind a charming facade.
- doubt the true intentions
Why to risk all not paying attention to his true intentions?
- Why to risk all not paying attention to his true intentions?
- So, but the, the, the point for, for me was that I had to look at like, what was my true intention?
Examples
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The Bush administration considers diplomacy a good way to test North Korea's true intentions, whether or not diplomacy holds any real possibility of yielding positive results.
Academic text (2004) -
Dennis is your all-round nice guy, so nice that it raises suspicions as to his true intentions.
Blog text (23) -
Then... her true intentions will become clear.
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The only way to find out a politician's true intentions is by seeing their actions as president.
Blog text (13) -
Hiding your true intentions is terrifying when you are running for president.
Blog text (31) -
We think we have a sense of Mr. Clay's true intentions.
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Latin Americans doubt the true intentions of all those who cross their paths, from politicians to friends.
Academic text (2011) -
But little is known of the Khmer Rouge's leaders or their true intentions.
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Stating something that reflects your true intentions isn't something you can retract.
Blog text (32) -
Yet the SCAF's attempts to curtail dissent and the democratic process have fueled doubts about its true intentions.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
621
3.0
A reason, often hidden, that makes someone do something
417
3.4
The reason someone does or says something
148
3.3
A serious aim to start a romantic relationship, often to marry
17
4.9
The real character a person shows when under pressure
How Sincere
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person's real motives' is directly and compositionally derived from 'true' (genuine) + 'intention' (plan or motive); the adjective simply qualifies the intention as genuine rather than deceptive. This is a common, cross-linguistic adjective+noun pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely understand the phrase.
Etymology
True intentions comes from the simple idea that 'intentions' are the plans a person keeps inside and 'true' means the real, hidden plan. Imagine someone smiling while holding a secret note in their hand—the secret note shows their true intentions, so the phrase means someone's 'real motives'.