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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
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The film, which tells the true story of an all-Black, all-female battalion in WWII, also saw Kerry Washington take home the Best Actress award in a moment of genuine shock and gratitude.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
23 Feb. 2025
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But the film’s dull political edge doesn’t diminish the joy ride’s momentum, nor the flashes of genuine weirdness that keep us guessing.—
Beatrice Loayza,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But in the transactional world of Trump, Musk, and DOGE, the concept of career civil servants taking lower-paying, apolitical work to serve an intangible greater good is naive at best.—
Adam Chandler,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
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The idea sounds simple, even naive: Fix the money, fix the world.—
Bryan Benson,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
More than $50 million in federal funds that Alabama received for this year's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was unaffected by Trump's executive order because the funds came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, al.com reported.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
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Since the law went into effect last month, TikTok — which claims 170 million U.S. users — has remained largely unaffected on American phones that had already downloaded the app.—
Sapna Maheshwari,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This innocent man spent over three decades behind bars.—
Yash Roy,
CNN,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The story itself was a typically innocent Shirley Temple tale, in this a young girl who tries to reconcile her parents and her grandfather after her mother marries a Yankee.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Senior officials responsible for keeping agencies honest and accountable were among those purged.—
Calvin Woodward,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2025
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Even from an honest left-wing perspective, Haaland’s rise has little to ...—
Paul J. Gessing,
National Review,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Its simple style can be dressed up with your best evening wear or paired with casual outfits to be your next wardrobe staple.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Yellow is the simplest, and purple is the most difficult.—
New York Times Games,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Some may worry that setting back your thermostats could end up costing more money, based on the common misconception that furnaces work harder to warm a space back up — but experts say that’s not true.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2025
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Regardless of whether the statements can be understood as opinions, Sloane also argues that the statements are substantially true.—
Winston Cho,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The older-younger generational divide emerges in an entirely different way in the latter episodes, with a growing riff between pragmatic (some would say selfish) Gen Xers and more idealistic and collectivist (some would say guileless) younger millennial and Gen Zers.—
James Hibberd,
The Hollywood Reporter,
4 Feb. 2025
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Too much guileless positivity could lean a little Kimmy Schmidt, but Marcie’s innocence and genuine concern for every character grounds Sweeney’s dramedy from going full-tilt self-loathing.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ingenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ingenuous. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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