INGENUOUS


Meaning of INGENUOUS in English

/ 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

••

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.).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.