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
-
The most effective solution lies in embracing genuine flexibility.—
Rob Lydic,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
With big sponsors such as Barclays, promoters like Live Nation and even investors like Blackrock, Vanguard and KKR now a target for activists, there’s a genuine fear that the tap could be turned off.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The oldest boy of 11 children was determined to succeed, but not naive.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
-
As naive as that may sound in a world where so many self-evident rights and wrongs are being routinely, dishonestly evaluated and reevaluated, the series elevates simple truths in ways that are downright inspirational.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Thirty to 100 percent increases are being asked for apartments built since 1947 and therefore unaffected by rent-control laws.—
Nicholas Pileggi,
Curbed,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Some of the areas most closely watched for tariff impact nationwide were largely unaffected.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
To illustrate the absurdity of adhering too closely to genre conventions, Galloway describes a plot about an innocent girl who winds up in a strange town.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
7 Aug. 2025
-
On the way back to her workstation after the 0830 all clear, Masako indulged this innocent conceit by regaling some of her Kenjo coworkers with a claim about her father’s apparently magical ability to protect himself and his family from American bombs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Creatively, the book features specific talking points to spark transparent and honest conversations.—
Essence,
Essence,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The project intends to empower Californians to engage in honest discussions, according to its mission statement.—
Amelia Wu,
Sacbee.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The recycled leather lanyard adds to its convenience and simple, timeless style.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Aug. 2025
-
But it was intended to be a simple, three-course meal, the documents showed.—
Chiara Eisner,
NPR,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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These personal histories are brilliantly distilled in his biopic of Japanese terrorist Satoshi Kirishima, who, as one of the country’s most wanted men, successfully evaded capture for nearly 50 years before revealing his true identity on his deathbed.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
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The Gilded Age has been a true word-of-mouth phenomenon.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But Meg Stalter is not so much clueless as compassionately guileless.—
Anna Peele,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
-
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 20 Aug. 2025.
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