/ ɪnˈdʒenjuəs; NAmE / adjective
( formal , sometimes disapproving ) honest, innocent and willing to trust people
SYN naive :
You're too ingenuous.
an ingenuous smile
It is ingenuous to suppose that money did not play a part in his decision.
—compare disingenuous
► in·genu·ous·ly adverb
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from Latin ingenuus literally native, inborn, from in- into + an element related to gignere beget. The original sense was noble, generous , giving rise to honourably straightforward, frank , hence innocently frank (late 17th cent.).