Words / C2

dis-in-JEN-yoo-uh-s/ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒenjuəs/

Disingenuous means insincere — pretending to be more innocent, surprised, or uninformed than you are. Dishonest is blunter and broader; insincere is everyday; naive is genuine innocence, the opposite pose. Disingenuously is the adverb, and the word is a sharp, formal accusation in argument. In speech, playing innocent or that is not as naive as it looks will do — do not use it for a simple mistake.

Meaning

Not sincere; pretending to be more innocent or less informed than you are (formal).

Examples

• “His surprise at the result seemed disingenuous.”
• “His “I had no idea” sounded disingenuous after the email trail.”
• “Asking “what is a deadline?” in week ten was disingenuous.”

Good to know

Falsely innocent or under-informed. Everyday: insincere / playing innocent. Contrast: naive = genuinely unaware.

Near in meaning

insincere

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