These two words, which sound so alike, are actually nearly opposites. Ingenuous means “to be artless, simple, innocent; lacking in cunning, guile, or worldliness.” It also means “openly straightforward or frank; candid.”
If you are ingenuous, you have an inability to mask your feelings; you are not devious
Ingenious means “to be particularly imaginative, clever, inventive.”
See disingenuous.
Example: Her idea was so ingenious that it went completely over the head of her ingenuous new assistant.
Grammar Tips & Articles »
ingenuous, ingenious
This Grammar.com article is about ingenuous, ingenious — enjoy your reading!
- 22 sec read
- 2,711 Views
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"ingenuous, ingenious." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 Nov. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/ingenuous-ingenious>.
Have a discussion about this article with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In