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
Talk of a solution—of two states, of a confederation, of nearly any prospect for a secure and free mode of coexistence—has long been dismissed as either an ingenuous assertion of faith or a cynical pantomime, an empty gesture toward a future no one expects to see.
—
David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 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
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
David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 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
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
-
Thune, due to the Senate filibuster, has been forced to take a more nuanced approach, using a combination of political pressure and genuine outreach.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Advertisement But political divisions remained because of genuine ideological differences.—
Time,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But anyone imagining that this problem will be resolved by taking games beyond international borders is extremely naive.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In contrast, the late-’90s and early-2000s pop culture era—glittery, naive, and commercially loud—feels like an antidote to endless doom-scrolling.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Kam Patterson is funny here as the one unaffected participant, who curiously studied Gothic Literature!—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Tech contributions in this straight-on underslant are appropriately unaffected.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
De Silva, police noted, was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the quarrel and was not believed to have been the target.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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So that seemingly innocent Machu Picchu stamp—one of the most popular souvenir stamps around—could be viewed not as a harmless keepsake but as an unauthorized alteration that might jeopardize your ability to travel.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Her fashion designer husband, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud, was sentenced to five months behind bars, two years of supervised release, 250 hours of community service, and a $250,000 fine.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Oct. 2025
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Be honest and then seek out stretch experiences, reading and other ways to learn to fill those gaps.—
Vicki Salemi,
Boston Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
While House Republicans can pass legislation with a simple majority vote, Senate Republicans cannot advance most matters without meeting a 60-vote threshold.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
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But in stoppage time, Miami was gifted a third goal when Jordi Alba crossed from the left and keeper Willis, colliding with defender Walker Zimmerman, spilled the ball right to Messi, who had the simplest of tap-ins.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In my experience, this is especially true in the lonely hours of the night while struggling with chronic pain.—
Joni Eareckson Tada,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
For most Galatasaray supporters, domestic titles were never the true measure of success; Europe was.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The books have the guileless charm of club-notes.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Whereas the title Amerika emphasizes the setting, The Missing Person points to the novel’s focus on the travails of a guileless hero struggling to find his footing in a frenetic new world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ingenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ingenuous. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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