ingénue

or in·ge·nue

[ an-zhuh-noo, -nyoo; French an-zhey-ny ]

noun

, plural in·gé·nues [an, -zh, uh, -nooz, -nyooz, a, n, -zhey-, ny].

1. an artless, innocent, unworldly girl or young woman:

   Navy and cocoa browns are good neutrals for the ingénue, and the right creamy beige or pearl gray are good choices for her more classic outfits.

2. the role of a young, innocent, and appealing character in a play, movie, TV show, etc., typically a female role.
3. an actress or actor who plays such a role or specializes in playing such roles.
4. a young actress or actor:

   At the awards event, natural diamonds were the gemstone of choice for both Hollywood ingenues and veterans alike.

5. a young, inexperienced person:

   The ailing leader Kim Jong Il sought to transfer power to his youngest son, a political ingenue in his 20s.

ingénue

/ ɛ̃ʒeny; ˌænʒeɪˈnjuː /

noun

1. an artless, innocent, or inexperienced girl or young woman

Word History and Origins

Origin of ingénue¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from French, feminine of ingénu, from Latin ingenuus “native, inborn”; ingenuous; ingenuity ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ingénue¹

C19: from French, feminine of ingénu ingenuous

Example Sentences

Purser’s Anne isn’t the demure ingenue of more traditional productions, even though McDonald’s Edouard Dindon has no problem playing the farcical parental heavy.

From Los Angeles Times

To help develop his material for the book, he performed a one-man show over the summer called “Middle Aged Ingenue.”

From Los Angeles Times

When I ask if he’s ever felt pigeonholed in the billion-dollar-grossing phenomenon of “Saw,” Bell suggests that every actor gets pigeonholed, whether as “an ingenue, the girl next door,” or in his case, a “bad guy.”

From Los Angeles Times

She also found she was referencing the arc of an ingénue in a Jennifer Blowdryer book she nabbed in Silver Lake.

From Los Angeles Times

The roles she most loved are the ones she aged up for and did not look like an ingenue.

From Salon

Related Words

• artist
• character
• clown
• comedian
• entertainer
• performer
• player
• star
• villain