ingenuous — showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness; naive
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness; naive
Pronunciation (IPA): /ɪnˈdʒenjuəs/
Example Sentences
- The ingenuous tourist asked if the Statue of Liberty was real or just a movie prop.
- His ingenuous belief that all politicians tell the truth was both touching and concerning.
- The child's ingenuous observations about life often surprised the adults.
ingenuous
ADJECTIVE[/ɪnˈdʒenjuəs/]
showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness; naive
The ingenuous child asks the magician how he really made the coin disappear.
Baby genius stays innocent - ingenuous despite being smart!
His ingenuous hope makes the tenuous seem less strenuous!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Latin ingenuus, meaning 'native, freeborn, noble.' Originally described someone born free (not a slave) and thus possessing natural honesty and purity of character.
Breakdown
in- (in, native) + gen- (birth, born) + -ous (adjective suffix meaning 'having the quality of')
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The ingenuous tourist asked if the Statue of Liberty was real or just a movie prop.”
“His ingenuous belief that all politicians tell the truth was both touching and concerning.”
“The child's ingenuous observations about life often surprised the adults.”
“She gave an ingenuous answer, not realizing it revealed her secret crush.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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