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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In 2025, personal touch and human logic are vital for combating the fatigue often associated with a lack of genuine connection.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
29 July 2025
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That is the only way Trump can be a genuine peacemaker in the Middle East.—
ZAHA HASSAN,
Foreign Affairs,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Even Portugal, who have been naive defensively but have considerable pace in attack, could threaten in transition, and Italy will need to shore up that element of their game to avoid being caught out.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
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How did an obscure, scientifically naive mining society discover the wheel, when highly advanced civilizations, such as the ancient Egyptians, did not?—
Kai James,
JSTOR Daily,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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But the economy won’t spiral downward too far, because so much of America’s spending and production is unaffected by tariffs.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
Many experts believe that most of the auto sales this year have been of inventory that was imported before the duties, meaning their prices would be unaffected.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
Adjective
-
Additionally, wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian head scarf, at an event celebrating Arab Heritage Month was inflammatory of Johnson in the political environment following the massacre of innocent Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 July 2025
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Attorneys have also raised concerns about the increase in arrests of people with pending charges, who are presumed innocent, and disrupting their ability to mount a defense.—
Eva Wen,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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This is a great way to spot medical fraud or an honest human error like a miscoding of services.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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And this all starts by surrounding yourself with forward-thinking partners who put your best interest at heart, and who put honest assessment of your needs ahead of racking up a big sale on the trend du jour.—
Tim Ringel,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Looking for their environmental DNA in scales, slime or skin cells that living beings shed all the time is a simpler way, Workman said.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
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His trek from rural highways to small towns across the Deep South reveals the visceral reactions his simple statement of solidarity provokes, exposing the depth of the nation’s ideological divisions while capturing rare moments of genuine human connection.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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This was certainly true of the Mets last summer when Taylor played his way into the lineup more consistently than Harrison Bader.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
26 July 2025
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This rings especially true for me, a vegetarian for nearly two decades.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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But Meg Stalter is not so much clueless as compassionately guileless.—
Anna Peele,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
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His career hamstrung by bipolar disorder and stints in psychiatric hospitals, Johnston first found acclaim as an unguarded and guileless songwriter in the late ’80s with tunes that cut instantly to the emotional quick.—
Grayson Haver Currin Eli Durst,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ingenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ingenuous. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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