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Ingenuous: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Ingenuous adjective. Innocent, trusting and open, sometimes more than is wise.
How to say it
in-JEN-yoo-us/ɪnˈdʒɛnjʊəs/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (JEN).
Ingenuous in a sentence
His ingenuous question about who pays for the free lunch made everyone laugh.
It was hard to stay angry after such an ingenuous apology.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- naive
- artless
- innocent
- guileless
Opposite:
- disingenuous
- sly
- worldly
Usage note
Ingenuous means innocent and frank; ingenious means clever. Its opposite, disingenuous, means pretending to be more honest than you are.
Don’t confuse with ingenious
ingenious (adjective): Clever, original and inventive.
Where ingenuous comes from
From Latin ingenuus, freeborn, and so frank and honest.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
It was hard to stay angry after such an _____ apology.
- ingenuous
- venial
- complaisant
Show the answer
ingenuous: It was hard to stay angry after such an ingenuous apology.