Disingenuous
/ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒɛnjuəs/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Disingenuous means not being honest or open about your true feelings or intentions. It often describes people who act as if they do not know something or feel a certain way, but in reality, they do. This word is used when someone is pretending or being a little dishonest, but not in a very serious or harmful way.
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See It in Action
Pretending to be innocent or unaware when you are not
- •She gave a disingenuous answer to avoid admitting her mistake.
- •His disingenuous smile made me doubt his true feelings.
- •The politician’s disingenuous speech hid the real problems.
Not sincere or honest in what you say or do
- •It was disingenuous of him to say he didn’t care when he clearly did.
- •They made a disingenuous excuse to avoid helping.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "disingenuous" like "not honest," but more about pretending or hiding the truth, not just telling lies
- ✓Picture someone smiling politely but hiding what they really think or feel inside
- ✓It's the feeling when you realize a friend is not telling you everything or is pretending to be innocent
- ✓Sounds like "dis-in-JEN-yoo-us" → imagine someone saying "not genuine," meaning not real or true
- ✓Think of a character in a story who acts nice but actually wants something else secretly
- ✓NOT like "lying" (which is clearly false), "disingenuous" is more like hiding the full truth or pretending ignorance
- ✓NOT like "honest" (telling the truth), disingenuous is the opposite: not fully honest or sincere
- ✓NOT like "rude" (being openly bad), disingenuous is often polite but secretly dishonest
Try Other Words
- •Insincere: not sincere or honest (Use when someone’s feelings or words are not real or true)
- •Deceptive: intended to make someone believe something that is not true (Use when the dishonesty is meant to trick others)
- •Two-faced: pretending to be nice but being dishonest behind someone's back (Use when someone shows two different sides to different people)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "dis-" (not) + root "ingenuous" (from "ingenuous" meaning honest, open, or sincere)
- •Etymology: From Latin "ingenuus" meaning "free-born, honest," with "dis-" added to mean "not honest"
- •Historical development: Originally meant not frank or sincere, used since the 1600s in English
- •Modern usage: Used to describe people or actions that are not fully honest or sincere, often polite but hiding the truth
Reflect & Connect
•Can someone be disingenuous without meaning to be? How can that happen?
•How do you feel when you realize someone is being disingenuous with you?
Fill in the blanks
1.She gave a disingenuous answer because she wanted to ___ her real thoughts.
2.When someone is disingenuous, they often pretend to ___ something they actually know.
3.A disingenuous person might smile politely but feel ___ inside.
4.Saying you don’t care when you clearly do is an example of a ___ statement.
5.Politicians are sometimes called disingenuous when they ___ the truth to gain support.
6.People usually feel ___ when they discover someone was disingenuous with them.
7.Disingenuous behavior is different from lying because it often hides ___ rather than telling a clear falsehood.