Ingenuous
Adjective
Definition: Innocent; artless; candid; frank.
Definition: Showing childlike simplicity and lack of guile.
Synonyms: Naive, Young, Artless, Frank, Honest, Sincere
Antonyms: Cunning, Deceitful, Dishonest
- Her ingenuous remarks showed her lack of experience in the corporate world.
- The ingenuous smile on the child's face melted everyone's hearts.
- Imagine a young child being honest and sincere in their interactions, embodying the qualities of being ingenuous.
- Think of "innocent genius" - someone who is intellectually brilliant but also innocent and naive.
Etymology:
From Latin "ingenuus" meaning "of freeborn birth" or "noble, honorable, frank, candid".
Historical Usage:The word has been used in English since the 16th century, often referring to someone with qualities of innocence and simplicity.
Related Idioms:
"Wearing one's heart on one's sleeve"
Explanation:Used to describe someone who is openly and honestly expressing their emotions, without any pretense or deception. This phrase is often associated with being ingenuous.
Misconceptions:
Confusing "ingenuous" with "ingenious".
Explanation:"Ingenuous" refers to someone who is innocent and honest, while "ingenious" refers to someone who is clever or inventive. These two words have different meanings and should not be used interchangeably.