disingenuous

adjective

dis·​in·​gen·​u·​ous ˌdis-in-ˈjen-yə-wəs 

-yü-əs

: lacking in candor

also : giving a false appearance of simple frankness : calculating

disingenuously adverb

disingenuousness noun

Did you know?

A disingenuous remark might contain some superficial truth, but it is delivered with the intent to deceive or to serve some hidden purpose. Its base word ingenuous (derived from a Latin adjective meaning "native" or "freeborn") can describe someone who, like a child, is innocent or lacking guile or craftiness. English speakers began frequently joining the negative prefix dis- with ingenuous to create disingenuous during the 17th century.

Examples of disingenuous in a Sentence

"It's had nine murders since 1937—about the same as you would get in many small towns." This was correct, but a wee disingenuous. The AT [Appalachian Trail] had no murders in its first thirty-six years and nine in the past twenty-two. —Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, 1999

… and he egged Badger on, asking a disingenuous question about the antivivisection rally in Cleveland, and as Badger took the thought up and chewed it over, the Doctor made as if to excuse himself. —T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993

… he has a disingenuous way of resorting to slang when he wants to make a big point but is afraid of sounding pretentious. —Karen Schoemer, New York Times Book Review, 31 Oct. 1993

Unity is at best an ideal, at worst a disingenuous political slogan. —Salman Rushdie, The Independent on Sunday, 25 Nov. 1990

Her recent expressions of concern are self-serving and disingenuous.

Recent Examples on the Web

Using Saylor’s reputation and his defense of bitcoin to imply the same qualities apply to this speculative crypto token is, at best, disingenuous and, at worst, deliberately deceptive. —Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024

But Shyamalan has bought into today’s appalling celebrity machinery, the same disingenuous propaganda that makes critics and skeptics suspect that the Taylor Swift phenomenon might be a CIA psyop. —Armond White, National Review, 14 Aug. 2024

The idea of leaving the centers open without providing the services they were created to house felt disingenuous, McDonald said, and university officials weren’t sure enough staff would be left to run them after some employees move to the student services center. —Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 29 June 2024

There was nothing disingenuous about the Protect Our Parks proposed charter amendment. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

dis- + ingenuous entry 1

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined above

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