disingenuous
dis-in-JEN-yoo-us
/ˌdɪs.ɪnˈdʒen.ju.əs/
Slightly dishonest; pretending that you know less about something than you really do.
Implies a calculated, sophisticated form of dishonesty rather than a simple lie.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'ingenuus', which originally meant 'free-born' or 'noble'. In Roman times, a noble person was expected to be frank and honest. Adding 'dis-' flips the meaning to someone who lacks that noble honesty.
Word relationships
- insincere: Insincere is broader and less formal; disingenuous implies a specific 'playing dumb' quality.
- ingenuous: Innocent, naive, and honest.
Commonly confused with
- unintelligent: Disingenuous people are often very smart; they are just pretending to be unaware.
Word family
- disingenuously (adverb): In a way that is slightly dishonest.
- disingenuousness (noun): The quality of being disingenuous.
Collocations
- disingenuous claim
- somewhat disingenuous
- disingenuous argument
Example sentences
- "It was disingenuous of the minister to claim he had no knowledge of the report when his signature was on the cover." Political commentary.
- "It is disingenuous to say that we are not aware of the problem." A real citation from literature.
Memory hook
A 'disingenuous' person is 'dis-ing' (disrespecting) the 'genius' of the truth. The 'genius' who pretends to be 'dis' (not) smart.
When not to use
Avoid using for accidental mistakes; it implies a deliberate intent to mislead.
Fun facts
- The word 'ingenuous' and 'ingenious' are often confused, but 'ingenuous' is about honesty while 'ingenious' is about cleverness.
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