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ingenuous

[ in-jen-yoo-uhs ]
/ ɪnˈdʒɛn yu əs /
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See synonyms for: ingenuous / ingenuously / ingenuousness on Thesaurus.com
adjective
free from reserve, restraint, or dissimulation; candid; sincere.
artless; innocent; naive.
Obsolete. honorable or noble.
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Origin of ingenuous

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin ingenuus “native, free-born, honorable, frank; (of studies or occupations) befitting a freeborn person, liberal,” equivalent to in- verb prefix + gen- (base of gignere “to bring into being”) + -uus adjective suffix; see in-2, ingenious, -ous

words often confused with ingenuous

See ingenious.

OTHER WORDS FROM ingenuous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ingenuous

ingenious, ingenuous (see confusables note at ingenious)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to ingenuous

artless, candid, childlike, frank, green, guileless, innocent, naive, natural, open, outspoken, plain, simple, sincere, square, straightforward, trusting, unaffected, unartful, unartificial

How to use ingenuous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ingenuous

ingenuous
/ (ɪnˈdʒɛnjʊəs) /
adjective
naive, artless, or innocent
candid; frank; straightforward

Derived forms of ingenuous

ingenuously, adverbingenuousness, noun

Word Origin for ingenuous

C16: from Latin ingenuus freeborn, worthy of a freeman, virtuous, from in- ² + -genuus, from gignere to beget
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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