ingenuous
/ɪnˈdʒɛn.ju.əs/adjective
Innocent and trusting; open and without cunning.
Example sentences
- “His ingenuous smile made everyone trust him at once.”
- “She asked the ingenuous question that everyone else was too proud to ask.”
Rare and easily mistaken for 'ingenious'. Its better-known relative is 'disingenuous', meaning insincere.
Synonyms for ingenuous
- naive
- innocent
- trusting
- artless
- guileless
Antonyms
Often confused with ingenuous
- ingenuous vs ingenious
- ingenious (adjective): Very clever and original; showing inventive skill.
- ingenuous vs disingenuous
- disingenuous (adjective): Not honest or sincere, especially by pretending to know less or care more than you really do.
Find it in: Advanced English words, Words to describe a person.
