ingenuous

[ in-jen-yoo-uhs ]

adjective

1. free from reserve, restraint, or dissimulation; candid; sincere.

   Synonyms: open, straightforward, frank, guileless

2. artless; innocent; naive.

   Synonyms: unsophisticated

3. Obsolete. honorable or noble.

ingenuous

/ ɪnˈdʒɛnjʊəs /

adjective

1. naive, artless, or innocent
2. candid; frank; straightforward

Confusables Note

See ingenious.

Derived Forms

• inˈgenuousness, noun
• inˈgenuously, adverb

Other Words From

• in·genu·ous·ly adverb
• in·genu·ous·ness noun
• half-in·genu·ous adjective
• half-in·genu·ous·ly adverb
• half-in·genu·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ingenuous¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin ingenuus “native, free-born, honorable, frank; (of studies or occupations) befitting a freeborn person, liberal,” equivalent to in- verb prefix + gen- (base of gignere “to bring into being”) + -uus adjective suffix; in- ², ingenious, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of ingenuous¹

C16: from Latin ingenuus freeborn, worthy of a freeman, virtuous, from in- ² + -genuus, from gignere to beget

Example Sentences

Moving up and down a single aisle with a discernible deliberateness, Masli projected a persona that was halfway between curious child and ingenuous alien just landed on Earth — that she is among us but not like us is reinforced by her having a golden mannequin leg for a left arm, with a mic attached at the end.

From New York Times

In a fascinating period piece that juxtaposes the ingenuous Peanuts gang with the cynical cast of “Mad Men,” Keane and narrator Allan Robertson reveal the many twists of fate and seeming minor miracles that resulted in the perfect imperfection of a true classic.

From Seattle Times

She was a "simple-minded, naïve, ingenuous girl", according to her first report.

From BBC

Devieilhe, with a smooth tone like light cream, gave Constance’s prattling utterances an air of ingenuous wisdom, beautifully balancing Pérez’s tightly wound, self-conscious Blanche.

From New York Times

Heathcliff, of course, is the prime example, growing from an ingenuous child into a glowering adult who spins all the considerable evil ever done to him — much of it based on race and class — into justification for his long game of retribution.

From New York Times