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.

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disingenuous British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒɛnjʊəs /

adjective

1. not sincere; lacking candour

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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

“I had a scenario where an agent called the police on me. They are intentionally trying to frame the situation in ways that are completely disingenuous,” Arteaga recalled.

From Salon

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

From BBC

He’s either being disingenuous in Ms. Zenovich’s interview, or is beyond the point of being a reliable source on his own life story.

From The Wall Street Journal

“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

“The biggest problem is the ability to deceive people or manipulate people because it looks real, it sounds real, it’s pretty disingenuous if you didn’t say it,” Church told me.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deceitful
• dishonest
• false
• unfair