Ingenuous
hardin-JEN-yoo-us
adjective
Definition
Innocent and unsuspecting; candid and sincere
Examples
“His ingenuous questions revealed his lack of experience.”
“She gave an ingenuous account of her childhood.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Categories
GRE Tip
Ingenuous is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "naive" or "guileless" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "disingenuous".
Related GRE Words
guileless
Innocent and without deception; artless and sincere
veracious
Speaking or representing the truth; truthful
naive
Showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment
forthright
Direct and outspoken; straightforward and honest
credulous
Having or showing too great a readiness to believe things
gullible
Easily persuaded to believe something; credulous
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