INGENUOUS Synonyms: 161 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

ingenuous

adjective

in-ˈjen-yə-wəs

Definition of ingenuous next

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 The actors effortlessly entwine the droll and the ingenuous, but as Ulman juggles more characters and more plot angles than in her first movie, there isn’t necessarily more payoff. —

Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 There’s something soft about the play, a little ingenuous and underbrewed. —

Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2024 And while some delusions of the self are less opportunistic and others feel more ingenuous, the tilt of reality to suit ourselves is nonetheless slippery. —

Megan O’Grady, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2020 All of this feels rather random, rather personal, rather ingenuous. —

New York Times, 5 Nov. 2021 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 The underdog pick is Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), an ingenuous arriviste who, long-limbed and blunder-prone, provides much of the show’s comic relief. —

Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ingenuous

Adjective

The genuine impact of a viral trend can differ in menswear compared to womenswear.

— Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2025
Indeed, with some of these advanced tools capable of cloning a genuine website in just a matter of a few clicks, Warmenhoven said, phishing has become both more frequent and effective.

— Davey Winder, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2025