ingénue

or in·ge·nue

[ an-zhuh-noo, -nyoo; French an-zhey-ny ]

See synonyms for: ing%C3%A9nue ing%C3%A9nues on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural in·gé·nues

[an-zhuh-nooz, -nyooz; French an-zhey-ny]. /ˈæn ʒəˌnuz, -ˌnyuz; French ɛ̃ ʒeɪˈnü/.

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

an actress or actor who plays such a role or specializes in playing such roles.
a young actress or actor: At the awards event, natural diamonds were the gemstone of choice for both Hollywood ingenues and veterans alike.
a young, inexperienced person: The ailing leader Kim Jong Il sought to transfer power to his youngest son, a political ingenue in his 20s.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ingénue in a sentence

And sure, actresses and ingenues were getting excited about it after the huge gains.
When Celebrities Like Mila Kunis Talk Stocks, It’s Time to Get Out of the Market | Daniel Gross | March 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
I discovered my two ingenues might have been taken from the Forest Home!
Nat Goodwin's Book | Nat C. Goodwin
George Sand is one of those old ingenues who do not wish to quit the boards.
Baudelaire: His Prose and Poetry | Charles Baudelaire
She is very nice, certainly, and quite presentable, but one can never predict how these innocent ingenues will develop.
Floyd Grandon's Honor | Amanda Minnie Douglas
I didn't know that your taste ran to ingenues to such an extent.
The Malefactor | E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for ingénue

ingénue

/ (ˌænʒeɪˈnjuː, French ɛ̃ʒeny) /

noun

an artless, innocent, or inexperienced girl or young woman

Origin of ingénue

C19: from French, feminine of ingénu ingenuous

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

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