ingénue

American  

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

Or ingenue

noun

plural

ingénues

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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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

Her recent memoir, “The Secret Listener: An Ingenue in Mao’s Court,” was published last year.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2023

Raoul is the stock Handsome Heroic Figure, the Phantom is the Tortured Genius, Christine is barely fleshed out beyond the Ingenue and Carlotta is a flimsy Temperamental Diva.

From Washington Post • Jul. 22, 2016

Ingenue, for instance, is coded orange; it's relatively stark, with Yorke at the piano.

From The Guardian • Jul. 27, 2013

First came the loose-limbed country-and-western style of her early work like Angel with a Lariat, followed by the sleek pop-country phase epitomized in the album Ingenue and its smash single Constant Craving.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then we checked the latest issues of Ingenue and Mademoiselle and Seventeen and decided we’d get box-pleated skirts in tartan plaid—green—for the first day of school.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

Related Words

• babe
• ingénue