ingenuous

1 of 2

adjective (1)

in·gen·u·ous in-ˈjen-yə-wəs

-yü-əs

1

a

: showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness

her ingenuous thirst for experience

Christopher Rawson

b

: lacking craft or subtlety

ingenuous in their brutality

2

obsolete : noble, honorable

ingenuously adverb

ingenuousness noun

ingenuous

2 of 2

adjective (2)

obsolete

: ingenious

Did you know?

Ingenuous is most often used to describe someone who has a childlike innocence and openness. It should not be confused with ingenious, which typically describes someone who is unusually inventive or clever, or something made or done in an especially original or clever way. The words look very much alike, but sound different: remember that ingenuous sounds like its linguistic relation genuine, while ingenious sounds like genius—despite the fact that there is no etymological connection between those two. For more on this pair, read on.

Choose the Right Synonym for ingenuous

natural, ingenuous, naive, unsophisticated, artless mean free from pretension or calculation.

natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Latin ingenuus native, freeborn, from in- + gignere to beget — more at kin

Adjective (2)

by alteration

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective (2)

1588, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ingenuous was in 1588

See more words from the same year

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ingenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingenuous. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

ingenuous

adjective

in·gen·u·ous

in-ˈjen-yə-wəs

: showing innocent or childlike simplicity and straightforwardness

ingenuously adverb

ingenuousness noun

Word of the Day

lachrymose

Listen to the pronunciation of lachrymose

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words Named After People

Namesake of the leotard, Jules Léotard had what profession?

Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ