Ingenue
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈɑnʒənu/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Ingenue is a noun meaning An innocent, unsophisticated, naïve, wholesome girl or young woman.
Meaning
An innocent, unsophisticated, naïve, wholesome girl or young woman.
More Meanings
- (theater, film) A dramatic role of such a woman; an actress playing such a role.
- (rare) Misspelling of ingenu.
Example Sentences
Near-synonym: girl next door
America why callow ingenue bile?
Mr. Acheson's failure as Secretary of State ... has been an inability to understand people or to be understood by them.
I cannot resist citing, slightly out of context, another bit of Baudelaire: "Satan s'est fait ingénu" (Satan has made himself into an ingenue [Oeuvres Completes 640])
Word Forms
- ingenues
Antonyms for ingenue
Common opposites include enchantress, man-eater, mantrap, seductress, siren, temptress.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include nymph, pucelle, girl, nymphette, damsel, puella.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.