disingenuous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disingenuous
Explanation
Use the adjective disingenuous to describe behavior that's not totally honest or sincere. It's disingenuous when people pretend to know less about something than they really do. Disingenuous combines dis-, meaning "not," with ingenuous (from the Latin gen-, meaning "born") which was originally used to distinguish free-born Romans from slaves, and later came to mean "honest" or "straightforward." So disingenuous means "dishonest." Ingenuous is less common now than disingenuous, but we still use it for someone who is sincere to the point of naiveté. A good synonym is insincere.
Vocabulary lists containing disingenuous
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Grade 12, List 4
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This Week in Words: March 30–April 5, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others tried to analyze the facial expressions in photos of top administration figures, looking for something disingenuous to betray acting or indicate a lack of real fear.
From Slate • Apr. 26, 2026
“It would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn’t change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas. It does,” said Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
There is no escaping the fact they are one of the best payers in Europe, and it would be disingenuous to suggest finances weren't a big factor in the two new signings.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
“When you’re going to have rulings producing these massive and permanent effects, it seems kind of disingenuous to label them as interim,” said Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025
“Especially,” said Charles, “when the batty bandleader is a disingenuous and mendacious charlatan.”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
