ingenue

noun

variants or ingénue
Definition of ingenuenext
as in angel
an innocent girl or young woman In her latest film she plays the part of an ingenue.

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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 ingenue Our best ingenues would queue to star as Dora and Nora. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 The inarguable breakout star of the 2026 awards season was Chase Infiniti, whose starring role in One Battle After Another swiftly elevated her from Hollywood ingenue to budding A-lister. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 5 May 2026 In wrestling terms, Ghost plays the babyface ingenue to her more jaded collaborators’ heels. — Judy Berman, Time, 15 Apr. 2026 Zendaya reinvented herself from Disney Channel ingenue into bona fide superstar with her two-time Emmy-winning performance as teen drug addict Rue in seasons 1 and 2. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ingenue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ingenue
  1. angel
  2. innocent
  3. virgin
  4. fledgling
  5. greenhorn
Noun
  • Helen, Rob and Emily McDaniel's wood-fire-and-coal-cooking restaurant, is a cozy downtown spot that serves up chicken thighs, angel biscuits, and tomato pie.
    — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The memorial, which features sculptures of an angel and bronze doves, is located in a cemetery that is also home to the world’s largest Catholic mausoleum.
    — Luis Andres Henao, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of angel
Noun
  • On that terrible day, millions of Americans witnessed airplanes flying into buildings, people jumping off skyscrapers, and the Twin Towers collapsing with thousands of innocents inside.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of innocent
Noun
  • Instead of putting bourbon into a new set of barrels, the distillery inserts 10 virgin French oak staves that have been seared into cask-strength Maker’s, and lets the whiskey age for a little more than two months in its cool limestone cellars.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Oct. 2026
  • As the cost of petrochemical feedstocks for virgin synthetics rises by as much as 60 percent or more, the price difference between virgin and bio-based options is getting smaller.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of virgin
Noun
  • There are believed to be two adult owls, and some photographers have claimed to have seen six fledglings, Barrett added.
    — JOSEPH FREDERICK, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • In the 1925 novel, the appearance of fledglings symbolizes freedom, confinement and even spiritual rebirth, themes that follow lead characters Clarissa and Sally (whom Edebiri portrays) as the story unfolds.
    — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fledgling
Noun
  • Flecks of mica and pyrite and who knows what, but only fools and greenhorns mistake it for gold.
    — John Archibald, Southern Living, 11 June 2026
  • The indestructible Gill, still strolling the fairways of the magazine, was more than welcoming to a greenhorn.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Definition of greenhorn

Browse Nearby Words

ingeniousness
ingenue
ingenues
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Cite this Entry

“Ingenue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ingenue. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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