ingenuous
gb/ɪnd͡ʒˈɛnjuəs/ us/ɪnd͡ʒˈɛnjuəs/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
formal
C1
property
1
innocent and trusting; naive
too trusting and not aware of tricks or bad intentions
Usage pattern:
[someone] is ingenuous (about [something])
Common mistake:
Often confused with ingenious (= very clever or inventive).
Synonyms
naive (More common and direct; can sound more negative.)
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innocent (Emphasizes lack of guilt or knowledge of wrongdoing.)
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guileless (Stresses absence of deceit or cunning.)
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trusting (Focuses on willingness to believe others.)
Antonyms
cynical (Expecting others to be selfish or dishonest.)
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worldly (Experienced and not easily fooled.)
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wary (Cautious and suspicious of risk or deception.)
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sophisticated (Socially experienced; not simple-minded.)
Collocations
an ingenuous child
|an ingenuous young man/woman
|an ingenuous smile
|an ingenuous face
|an ingenuous manner
|an ingenuous belief
|an ingenuous optimism
|an ingenuous view of the world
|almost ingenuous
|rather ingenuous
Themes
emotions
|personality
|social_life
Examples
- He was ingenuous enough to believe the offer was genuine.
- Her ingenuous excitement made the bad news harder to tell.
- They took advantage of his ingenuous trust in strangers.
Learner examples
- She is ingenuous and believes everyone.
- I was ingenuous and paid before checking the details.
adjective
formal
C1
property
2
open and sincere; not calculating
honest and natural, without trying to trick anyone
Usage pattern:
an ingenuous [remark/confession/apology]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse with disingenuous (= not sincere; pretending to be honest).
Synonyms
sincere (General term for being genuine and honest.)
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candid (Emphasizes frankness, especially about difficult topics.)
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frank (Direct and plain-spoken; can sound blunt.)
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open (Emphasizes willingness to share thoughts and feelings.)
Antonyms
disingenuous (Pretending to be sincere while hiding a motive.)
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guarded (Careful not to reveal true feelings or intentions.)
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insincere (Not genuinely meant or felt.)
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calculating (Strategically planning for advantage rather than being natural.)
Collocations
an ingenuous remark
|an ingenuous question
|an ingenuous confession
|an ingenuous apology
|an ingenuous response
|ingenuous honesty
|refreshingly ingenuous
|completely ingenuous
|seem ingenuous
|sound ingenuous
Themes
communication
|personality
|social_life
Examples
- He gave an ingenuous apology and admitted he’d been wrong.
- Her ingenuous questions showed she wasn’t trying to trap anyone.
- The interview felt unusually ingenuous for a politician.
Learner examples
- He was ingenuous and told the truth.
- Her answer was simple and ingenuous.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ingenuous
IPA
GB/ɪnd͡ʒˈɛnjuəs/
US/ɪnd͡ʒˈɛnjuəs/
Syllables & stress
in - genu - ous (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (genu)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: ingenuous
Word family
Core family
ingenuously
adverb C1
Negative and opposite forms
disingenuous
adjective
disingenuously
adverb
Advanced or less common
ingenuousness
noun
disingenuousness
noun
Expressions
ingenuous to a fault
1/ɪnd͡ʒˈɛnjuəs tə ə fˈɔlt/
fixed phrase
formal
too naive or too honest
so trusting or honest that it becomes a weakness
Examples
- She’s ingenuous to a fault, so she assumes everyone means well.
- He was ingenuous to a fault and revealed details he should have kept private.
- They described him as ingenuous to a fault, which made him easy to mislead.