Candor is a noun meaning complete honesty or fairness. Sometimes it is used in the construction complete candor, but this is redundant. It is not pejorative or carry the connotation that candor is harsh, simply that what is said or done can be believed. The negative formation is usually having a lack of candor.
Candor is the preferred spelling inside the United States. Candour is the preferred spelling outside the US. Candor is pronounced with an er sound at the end, while candour is pronounced dropping the r sound all together, in line with other er words in British pronunciation.
Examples
His candor about his past and present struggles is inspiring, and no one reading his story will fail to wish him strength and serenity going forward. [Boston Globe]
According to the report, three of the CIA officers “demonstrated a lack of candor during their first interviews with the OIG (Office of the Inspector General) because they did not disclose actions they took on behalf of the two OGC officers,” the board admits. [Global Research]
Second, there have been Rwandan domestic prosecutions of RPF officials but, in all candor, these have been criticized as “whitewashed” justice. [All Africa]
Former England captain who led England to a famous Ashes win in 2005 too praised Kohli’s candour at press conferences. [Zee News India]
Mixing controlled candour with an ability to produce a droll remark, he has disarmed the toughest questioners, communicated consistently to assuage grieving relatives of passengers, and always taken care to ensure that only confirmed news of debris or bodies was released. [Asia One]