Words / C2

in-JEN-yoo-uh-s/ɪnˈdʒenjuəs/

Ingenuous means innocent, frank, and often too trusting: an ingenuous question, ingenuously admitted. It is not ingenious (already in the dictionary) — that is cleverly inventive (/ɪnˈdʒiːniəs/ vs /ɪnˈdʒenjuəs/). Disingenuous is insincerely pretending to be naïve. Do not call a junior ingenuous merely for asking where the date went.

Meaning

Innocent, frank, and often too trusting (formal; not ingenious).

Examples

• “An ingenuous intern believed the embargo was optional.”
• “Ingenious is clever (already in C1) — the classic C2 mix-up. Naive is everyday. Disingenuous is fake innocence. A fair question about a missing cell is diligence, not ingenuousness. Believing a slogan over a protocol is.”

Good to know

Naively frank. Everyday: naive / frank. Contrast: ingenious (clever) — already in this dictionary. Opposite flavour: disingenuous. Asking for the date is not naivety.

Near in meaning

naive

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