Synonyms of ingenuous

ingenuous

adjective

in-ˈjen-yə-wəs 

1

as in genuine

free from any intent to deceive or impress others

photographs that capture the ingenuous smiles of young children at play

Synonyms & Similar Words

• genuine
• unaffected
• honest
• simple
• innocent
• true
• naive
• guileless
• naïve
• sincere
• artless
• real
• spontaneous
• inexperienced
• straightforward
• unpretending
• unpretentious
• natural
• on the level
• candid
• childlike
• unsophisticated
• unworldly
• impressionable
• simpleminded
• wide-eyed
• frank
• malleable
• unstudied
• trustful
• unforced
• open
• openhearted
• direct
• plain
• plainspoken
• unguarded
• trusting
• gee-whiz
• gullible
• dewy-eyed
• persuadable
• single-minded
• persuasible
• free-spoken
• free
• exploitable
• susceptible
• straight
• unwary
• gullable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• false
• artful
• cynical
• artificial
• dishonest
• critical
• assuming
• insincere
• pretentious
• skeptical
• suspicious
• sophisticated
• phony
• affected
• fake
• wary
• worldly
• phoney
• mistrustful
• guileful
• cosmopolitan
• civilized
• deceptive
• polished
• cultured
• refined
• devious
• deceitful
• shrewd
• dissembling
• cunning
• manipulative
• hypocritical
• sly
• subtle
• cultivated
• dissimulating
• worldly-wise
• crooked
• wily
• crafty
• sharp
• smooth
• underhanded
• slick
• shifty
• slippery
• tricky
• scheming
• designing
• foxy
• calculating
• flattering
• unctuous
• arch
• feigned
• knavish
• double-dealing
• two-faced
• strained
• canny
• forced
• sycophantic
• mealymouthed

2

as in naive

lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment

the story of an ingenuous newcomer to the big city who outwits the slickers at their own game

Synonyms & Similar Words

• naive
• innocent
• simple
• naïve
• inexperienced
• primitive
• immature
• unsophisticated
• unsuspicious
• uncritical
• unworldly
• simpleminded
• unsuspecting
• childish
• dewy
• naïf
• unknowing
• green
• wide-eyed
• unwary
• aw-shucks
• trustful
• naif
• dewy-eyed
• childlike
• idealistic
• trusting
• callow
• credulous
• careless
• impractical
• believing
• gullible
• unrealistic
• thoughtless
• susceptible
• unguarded
• raw
• heedless
• gullable
• beguiled
• gulled
• duped
• tricked

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sophisticated
• worldly
• cynical
• experienced
• cosmopolitan
• knowing
• critical
• skeptical
• incredulous
• suspicious
• careful
• cautious
• unconvinced
• worldly-wise
• watchful
• wary
• doubting
• pragmatic
• realistic
• guarded
• leery
• down-to-earth
• sober
• hardheaded
• suspecting
• pragmatical
• leary
• streetwise
• street-smart

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ingenuous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of ingenuous are artless, naive, natural, and unsophisticated. While all these words mean "free from pretension or calculation," ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

When could artless be used to replace ingenuous?

In some situations, the words artless and ingenuous are roughly equivalent. However, artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

When is naive a more appropriate choice than ingenuous?

Although the words naive and ingenuous have much in common, naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

When can natural be used instead of ingenuous?

The meanings of natural and ingenuous largely overlap; however, natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

When would unsophisticated be a good substitute for ingenuous?

While in some cases nearly identical to ingenuous, unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ingenuous

By the water’s edge, her insecure 25-year-old son, Konstantin (Kodi Smit-McPhee), is mounting a post-apocalyptic play in which his enduring love, ingenuous country girl Nina (Emma Corrin), can act. —Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2025

By the water’s edge, her insecure 25-year-old son, Konstantin (Kodi Smit-McPhee), is mounting a post-apocalyptic play in which his enduring love, ingenuous country girl Nina (Emma Corrin), can act. —Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2025

There’s something soft about the play, a little ingenuous and underbrewed. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2024

Jennifer Johnson Cano’s mezzo-soprano was smoothly plangent as Emilia; the tenor Pene Pati was a sweetly ingenuous Cassio. —New York Times, 22 May 2022

Heathcliff, of course, is the prime example, growing from an ingenuous child into a glowering adult who spins all the considerable evil ever done to him — much of it based on race and class — into justification for his long game of retribution. —Laura Collins-Hughes, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2022

His greatest hope for the future, Meghan is a high school senior at a horsy boarding school in the Washington area and possibly the most ingenuous girl since Alice in Wonderland. —Ron Charles, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2022

Colman has become a go-to actor for masking pained personal histories behind either brittle snappishness or bluff affability; Reid’s ingenuous, old-soul charm is a winning foil for that defensive quality. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 July 2022

Moore, who sings big Verdi roles, isn’t easy to imagine as the ingenuous geisha (who’s supposed to be only 15 years old). —Dallas News, 19 Feb. 2022

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