ingenuousness

noun

Definition of ingenuousnessnext
as in naturalness
the quality or state of being simple and sincere his aw-shucks ingenuousness endeared him to his sophisticated new friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 ingenuousness What was once a poignant effort to extend a state of ingenuousness is now tainted from the start. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ingenuousness
  1. naturalness
  2. innocence
  3. simplicity
  4. sincerity
  5. guilelessness
Noun
  • Beauty, grace, freshness, naturalness, youth—all qualities which women have so often been reduced to.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The young actors are appealing, led by Lilah Pate and Chabley Ponce; there’s a sweetness and naturalness to their cameraderie that stands out amid so much mugging and gives the film a lift.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of naturalness
Noun
  • When Arisa proclaims herself a Faithful, Michael looks hilariously stunned, and Alan tells them to weep for the fall of innocence and the failure of justice.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Minutes later, Weinstein apologized while underscoring his claims of innocence.
    — MICHAEL R. SISAK, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of innocence
Noun
  • But the beautiful simplicity of East of Eden has always been its idea that nothing is finished.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • These poems are made with some of the simplicity and directness of a song.
    — Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • Their sincerity and humor come from the cast’s commitment to the mundane, said Ron Oliver, writer and director of many Hallmark films.
    — Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • For Chowdhury, the sincerity of that belief is almost beside the point.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of sincerity
Noun
  • Ronson uses Chism’s guilelessness to show how unexpected and profound the pitfalls can be for anyone looking to find a foothold in the new world.
    — Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Counterbalancing him is a young actor cast to play one of the show’s decoys (an excellent Skylar Gisondo), whose guilelessness only magnifies the film’s sense of Hansen as a man constructed entirely out of TV-friendly sheen.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of guilelessness

Browse Nearby Words

ingenuously
ingenuousness
ingest
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Cite this Entry

“Ingenuousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ingenuousness. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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