ingenuous

[ in-jen-yoo-uhs ]
/ ɪnˈdʒɛn yu əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ingenuous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

free from reserve, restraint, or dissimulation; candid; sincere.
artless; innocent; naive.
Obsolete. honorable or noble.

Origin of ingenuous

1590–1600; < Latin ingenuus native, free-born, honorable, frank, equivalent to in- in-2 + gen- (base of gignere; see ingenious) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix; see -ous

usage note for ingenuous

See ingenious.

OTHER WORDS FROM ingenuous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ingenuous

ingenious ingenuous (see usage note at ingenious)

Words nearby ingenuous

ingeminate, ingenerate, ingenhousz, ingenious, ingenuity, ingenuous, ingerland, ingersoll, ingest, ingesta, ingestant

Words related to ingenuousness

miscue, lapse, recklessness, error, gaffe, misjudgment, modesty, candor, restraint, unity, purity, clarity, integrity, directness, honesty, sincerity, simplicity, truthfulness, probity, fairness

Example sentences from the Web for ingenuousness

British Dictionary definitions for ingenuousness

ingenuous
/ (ɪnˈdʒɛnjʊəs) /

adjective

naive, artless, or innocent
candid; frank; straightforward

Derived forms of ingenuous

ingenuously, adverb ingenuousness, noun

Word Origin for ingenuous

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