YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

disingenuous

Adjective

IPA /ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒenjuəs/

Understand it. Say it. Use it.

UNDERSTAND THE WORD

Meaning in plain English

Not fully honest or sincere, especially by pretending to know less than you do.

SAY IT ALOUD

Pronunciation

disingenuous/ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒenjuəs/

PICTURE THE IDEA

See the meaning

Compare

Someone already knows the answer
They pretend to know nothing
Their question hides their real knowledge

A disingenuous question can pretend ignorance rather than express it honestly.

SEE IT IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH

Examples in context

Read the examples aloud. Notice how the word fits the sentence, then think of a situation of your own.

It was disingenuous to claim he knew nothing about the party he had organised.
The reviewer called the author's explanation disingenuous.

MAKE IT STICK

Quick word quiz

Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.

Can you recall the word?

Complete the example using the word from this lesson.

It was ________ to claim he knew nothing about the party he had organised.

Show the answer

disingenuous — Not fully honest or sincere, especially by pretending to know less than you do.

Try your own sentence (optional)

Make it yours

Write one sentence using “disingenuous” about your own life.

Your sentence (optional)

Check your sentence

Does your sentence match this meaning?

Not fully honest or sincere, especially by pretending to know less than you do.

Compare: It was disingenuous to claim he knew nothing about the party he had organised.

Check the spelling and how the word fits the sentence. Your example can be different.

Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.

This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.

Word origin

Formed from dis-, meaning the opposite of, and ingenuous, meaning frank or innocent.

Did you know?

Disingenuous often describes a claim, argument, explanation or person.

Explore related words

Open a word’s lesson when available, or explore entries that use the related term.

Make the word your own

Say the word aloud and read an example sentence.
Write a new sentence about something familiar to you.
Cover the meaning and try explaining the word in your own words.

Continue with the app’s practice check, then try a sentence of your own to mark this word complete.

Practise this word in the app

Completion and saved words stay in this browser on this device.