___ fide (genuine)

Latest answer — February 23, 2026

21 Across

This Latin phrase describes something that is genuinely authentic. 🧐

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

NYT Crossword

This clue's Monday, February 23, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Buffoons
  2. 6Paula of "American Idol"
  3. 11Final use for an old T-shirt
  4. 14Enraged
  5. 15What "my guitar gently" does, in a classic George Harrison song
  6. 16Mesozoic or Paleozoic
  7. 17Home for a single guy
  8. 19Animation sheet
  9. 20Hole for threading a lace
  10. 21___ fide (genuine)
  11. 22"Please like and subscribe" and the like, on YouTube videos
  12. 25Dr. Seuss book with the quote "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
  13. 28___ Today
  14. 29Kind of computer port
  15. 31Like the smell of trees
  16. 32Showed again
  17. 34Zoom past
  18. 37Psychotherapy switcheroos ... or what are hidden in 17-, 25-, 50- and 59-Across?
  19. 41Text on a red, white and blue sticker
  20. 42Gender-neutral possessive
  21. 44Ran after
  22. 47Opposite of WNW
  23. 49To and ___
  24. 50Time machine car in "Back to the Future"
  25. 53Made a grand speech
  26. 55Brother of Abel
  27. 56Times between dusk and dawn
  28. 58Had lunch, say
  29. 59Fruit with a "bellybutton"
  30. 64What planets revolve around
  31. 65How often the time is 12:00 each day
  32. 66Decorate
  33. 67Mini-albums
  34. 68___ of Troy
  35. 69Sat for a portrait

Down

  1. 1Accessory for a baby in a highchair
  2. 2British singer Rita
  3. 3Efron of "The Greatest Showman"
  4. 4Last multiple-choice option, often
  5. 5Rude goodbye to an enemy
  6. 6Soldier who has failed to report
  7. 7Military cap
  8. 8One of the three dimensions
  9. 9Kick ___ fuss
  10. 10Counterculture drug, in brief
  11. 114.75 seconds to assemble a Mr. Potato Head, per Guinness
  12. 12Concert venues
  13. 13Milky Way, e.g.
  14. 18Not as much
  15. 21"I crushed it!!!"
  16. 22Not just my
  17. 23___-friendly
  18. 24Root used in making poi
  19. 26Large jug
  20. 27Cage for crustaceans
  21. 30"American Psycho" author ___ Easton Ellis
  22. 33Cartoonist Bechdel
  23. 35Mass ___ (Boston thoroughfare)
  24. 36Give up
  25. 38Was a passenger
  26. 39Democrats and Socialists, with "the"
  27. 40Father
  28. 43Axle, e.g.
  29. 44Jewel box
  30. 45Start to escalate
  31. 46Extraterrestrials
  32. 48London theater district
  33. 51Object hitting people's heads in old cartoons
  34. 52Sibling's daughter
  35. 54South American barbecue
  36. 57Valley
  37. 59High degree
  38. 60Response to seeing an aurora, maybe
  39. 61Rejections
  40. 62College sr.'s test
  41. 6363-Down, in this puzzle

The answer to “___ fide (genuine)” in the New York Times crossword is BONA — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 23, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 21-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“___ fide (genuine)” answer

BONA (4 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is BONA.

Why the answer is BONA

This Latin phrase describes something that is genuinely authentic. 🧐

What does BONA mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of BONA is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(adjective)

  • genuine; real

When else has “___ fide (genuine)” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

February 23, 2026 (most recent) → BONA. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “___ fide (genuine)”?

The answer is BONA, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 23, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “___ fide (genuine)”?

4 letters: BONA.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on February 23, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 21-Across.

Can “___ fide (genuine)” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for February 23, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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