ingénue
or in·ge·nue
[ an-zhuh-noo, -nyoo; French an-zhey-ny ]
/ ˈæn ʒəˌnu, -ˌnyu; French ɛ̃ ʒeɪˈnü /
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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.
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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for ingénue
ingénue
/ (ˌænʒeɪˈnjuː, French ɛ̃ʒeny) /
noun
an artless, innocent, or inexperienced girl or young woman
Word Origin for ingénue
C19: from French, feminine of ingénu ingenuous
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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