ingénue

American  

[an-zhuh-noo, -nyoo, an-zhey-ny] / ˈæn ʒəˌnu, -ˌnju, ɛ̃ ʒeɪˈnü /

Or ingenue

noun

• ingénues
  plural

1. an artless, innocent, unworldly girl or young woman.

   Navy and cocoa browns are good neutrals for the ingénue, and the right creamy beige or pearl gray are good choices for her more classic outfits.

2. the role of a young, innocent, and appealing character in a play, movie, TV show, etc., typically a female role.

3. an actress or actor who plays such a role or specializes in playing such roles.

4. a young actress or actor.

   At the awards event, natural diamonds were the gemstone of choice for both Hollywood ingenues and veterans alike.

5. a young, inexperienced person.

   The ailing leader Kim Jong Il sought to transfer power to his youngest son, a political ingenue in his 20s.

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ingénue British  

/ ɛ̃ʒeny, ˌænʒeɪˈnjuː /

noun

1. an artless, innocent, or inexperienced girl or young woman

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ingénues
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ingénue

First recorded in 1840–50; from French, feminine of ingénu, from Latin ingenuus “native, inborn”; see origin at ingenuous; see also ingenuity ( def. )

Explanation

What do Ophelia, Snow White, and Sandy from the movie "Grease" all have in common? You could call each one an ingénue, or a young female character in literature or film who is wholesome and innocent. Ingénue comes from the French ingénu meaning "ingenuous, innocent." The term is used to describe the innocent girl stock character in film or literature. She's usually gentle, sweet, virginal, and pretty naive — which makes her susceptible to the harsh dangers of the world. Ingénue can also be used to describe an actress who specializes in playing this kind of character specifically.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ingénue ingénues

He also courted strong and straight — and unavailable — alpha men to whom he appeared happy to play the beta role of political ingénue.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Then the ingénue from the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders docuseries quit the whole thing—the squad, the hit show and the famous hot-pants uniform with matching white cowboy boots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

All of the things that make him an unlikely ingénue — the flop sweat, the slight chunkiness, the desire to pass for a cute foodie — click into place.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Pickett explains: "I wasn't really interested in her being an ingénue."

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

But Lydia, though the ingénue, is not the real heroine of this book: her aunt and her aunt's maid divide that position between them.

From The English Novel by Saintsbury, George

While the best actress award has often gone to ingénues, the best actor award has rarely gone to men below the age of 40.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

“I had my 36th birthday on ‘King Kong’ — I was still playing ingénues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025

And in “Als mir dein Lied erklang,” she was superb, singing with the combination of purity and humanity that characterizes the best Strauss ingénues.

From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2022

Sitting next to a casting director as a line of secondary ingénues streamed past, Dan said, “I vote for her,” and she got the part.

From Golf Digest ● Mar. 8, 2019

She stood before the screen, certain she could practically smell the restaurant, the heavy perfumes of a room full of divas and ingénues.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• babe
• ingénue