1
as in genuine
free from any intent to deceive or impress others
photographs that capture the ingenuous smiles of young children at play
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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
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Recent Examples of ingenuous
Diller soon struck a deal with Rupert Murdoch—then posing as an ingenuous newcomer to America—to buy Fox and merge it with Metromedia, a group of television stations owned by John Kluge.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 May 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
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
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 19 May 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ingenuous
Adjective
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That genuine moment became a symbol of love, sacrifice and something deeper — breaking generational cycles.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
30 May 2025
-
Samantha seems to have genuine chemistry with Chivon, but his sister Adeena (Sundra Oakley) is not thrilled about the relationship and confronts Samantha about it.—
Melissa Locker,
Time,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The first big work people make, that first foray into the public eye, has something so naive about it.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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But his answers Thursday painted the picture of an organization willing to trust internal answers over trading Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon or Michael Porter Jr. That is either delusional, naive, or both.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
During the two-and-a-half years when one of the four tubes will be shut to train traffic, the current LIRR and Amtrak schedules — both of which were slightly reduced as of November in anticipation of the shutdown — should, in theory, be unaffected.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
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In addition, although students with high SAT scores were largely unaffected by course shutouts, students with low SAT scores experienced more negative effects, particularly a lower likelihood of declaring a STEM major.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
-
While our lives tick along as normal these endless thousands of innocent human souls are still being expelled from the earth… for what?—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
30 May 2025
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Al Nassr When a YouTuber named Abu Omar dared to do an innocent impression of supervillain Lionel Messi at the home of Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr gave a calm and measured response.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Like so many good honest people with common sense who work hard and pay taxes, the Democrat party has abandoned them.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
Players appreciated such an honest approach during the Euro 2022 campaign, which garnered mutual respect and trust.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Trevon Williams, who did not escape from the New Orleans jail, was charged with 10 counts of being a principal to simple escape, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced on May 23.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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As artificial intelligence models grow increasingly sophisticated, their capabilities extend far beyond simple task execution.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
The formula for ‘true tackles’ is slightly more long-winded: tackles + challenges lost + fouls committed.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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This offseason is the first true break for Steph and Ayesha since 2023.—
Natasha Dye,
People.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Yet in Allerton’s presence, Lee becomes a charmer who seems as guileless as a stammering schoolboy.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
13 Dec. 2024
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Mickey 17 is as guileless as Candide, while his successor is more aggressive and shifty-eyed.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ingenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ingenuous. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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