French Conversation · Level 151
30 words
French word
ingénu
Pronunciation
IPA/ɛ̃ʒeny/
Meaning
- adjectiveinnocent
Example
Son sourire est ingénu.
His smile is innocent.
More examples
Elle a un regard ingénu quand elle parle de son enfance.
She has an innocent look when she talks about her childhood.
Core concept
An open face or gesture with nothing calculated behind it.
Common phrases
un regard ingénu
an innocent look
un ton ingénu
an innocent tone
Similar words
naïf: Inexperienced and too trusting to suspect ill intent.
innocent: Without guilt or malicious intent.
franc: Direct and outspoken, with no pretence or concealment.
sincère: Genuine and open in expressing feelings.
Definition in French
Caractérise un comportement simple et ouvert qui n'essaie pas de tromper ni de dissimuler ses sentiments.
Word origin
French ingénu comes through Old French from Latin ingenuus, which originally meant freeborn or noble and later developed senses of natural, frank, and artless.
Usage tips
- Ingénu can also imply naive or inexperienced, so context determines whether the description sounds warmly appreciative or mildly critical.
Other meanings
- childlikeadjective
Opposites
- soupçonneuxsuspiciousadjective
- rusécunningadjective