disingenuous

adjective

dis·in·gen·u·ous ˌdis-in-ˈjen-yə-wəs

-yü-əs

: lacking in candor

also : giving a false appearance of simple frankness : calculating

disingenuously adverb

disingenuousness noun

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A disingenuous remark might contain some superficial truth, but it is delivered with the intent to deceive or to serve some hidden purpose. Its base word ingenuous (derived from a Latin adjective meaning "native" or "freeborn") can describe someone who, like a child, is innocent or lacking guile or craftiness. English speakers began frequently joining the negative prefix dis- with ingenuous to create disingenuous during the 17th century.

Example Sentences

"It's had nine murders since 1937—about the same as you would get in many small towns." This was correct, but a wee disingenuous. The AT [Appalachian Trail] had no murders in its first thirty-six years and nine in the past twenty-two.

Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, 1999 … and he egged Badger on, asking a disingenuous question about the antivivisection rally in Cleveland, and as Badger took the thought up and chewed it over, the Doctor made as if to excuse himself.

T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993 … he has a disingenuous way of resorting to slang when he wants to make a big point but is afraid of sounding pretentious.

Karen Schoemer, New York Times Book Review, 31 Oct. 1993 Unity is at best an ideal, at worst a disingenuous political slogan.

Salman Rushdie, The Independent on Sunday, 25 Nov. 1990 Her recent expressions of concern are self-serving and disingenuous.

Recent Examples on the Web Even friends wondered whether his public discussion of his mental illness was disingenuous, a form of reputation management.

Ellen Barry Dave Sanders, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2022 João Gabriel Pontes, a constitutional lawyer affiliated with the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said the Brazilian right’s appeals to free speech ideas are disingenuous.

Gabriela Sá Pessoa, Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2022 For most of her public life as the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan has been described as many things: disingenuous, calculating, determined, relatable, even Diana-like.

Matt Donnelly, Variety, 19 Oct. 2022 But these lawmakers’ accusation is disingenuous, dishonest and largely political.

Jason D. Greenblatt, CNN, 9 Oct. 2022 Outrage about the content of books is often disingenuous, misplaced or manufactured.

Helen Kapstein, The Conversation, 28 July 2022 That speech, disingenuous then, or hopelessly gullible, is utterly disqualifying now.

Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2022 See, that’s either disingenuous, or an outright lie.

Gregg Doyel, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Feb. 2022 This settlement should have done more to tarnish her credibility because so much about her June 13, 2021, crypto Instagram post was disingenuous.

Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disingenuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.