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disingenuous

American  
[dis-in-jen-yoo-uhs] / ˌdɪs ɪnˈdʒɛn yu əs /

adjective

  1. lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere.

    Her excuse was rather disingenuous.
disingenuous British  
/ ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒɛnjʊəs /

adjective

  1. not sincere; lacking candour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • disingenuously adverb
  • disingenuousness noun
  • nondisingenuous adjective
  • nondisingenuously adverb
  • nondisingenuousness noun

Etymology

Origin of disingenuous

First recorded in 1645–55; dis- 1 + ingenuous

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.

“But 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,” he added.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

That’s not to say that the movie doesn’t have plenty of fascinating industry insider details to grab onto, or that it’s at all disingenuous, only that it lacks focus.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

Biffa claimed it was "disingenuous in the extreme" for Slater not to mention that in her letter.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 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

I was still hugging the boy, so he couldn't see the disingenuous look on my youthful face.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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.