Ingenuous

Ingenuous describes someone or something lacking craftiness, guile, or worldly experience; innocent and straightforward. It implies a natural openness and honesty, sometimes to the point of being naive or trusting. An ingenuous person is readily believing, displaying a simple, unpretentious nature, often making them appear harmless and disarming.

Ingenuous meaning with examples

• The child's ingenuous questions revealed her innocent understanding of the world, untouched by cynicism or complexity. Her simple curiosity was truly charming and heartfelt.
• His ingenuous smile and genuine enthusiasm disarmed the hardened negotiators, fostering a climate of unexpected cooperation where deals could easily be made.
• She gave an ingenuous account of the events, providing the details with refreshing simplicity, not realizing that the opposing party was quite skilled.
• The play's main character was an ingenuous young woman with a simple world view, providing a sharp contrast to the shrewd and cynical supporting roles she interacted with.
• Despite the complex plot of the novel, the author's writing style was ingenuous, making the complex situations and ideas easily understandable and enjoyable.