disingenuous
Pretending not knowing
Disingenuous means not straightforward or candid—feigning ignorance or innocence while knowing more than you let on.
A disingenuous question pretends to seek information but actually makes a point: Asking "Have you considered the consequences?" was disingenuous—she knew he hadn't.
The word suggests calculated insincerity rather than outright lying.
Causing false beliefs
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
- fraudulentInvolving intentional dishonesty
- untruthfulNot speaking facts
- mendaciousProne to lying
lying · dissembling · equivocating · misrepresenting · distorting · obfuscating · spin · half-truth
Feigning beliefs one lacks
- phonyFraudulent person or thing
- falseNot matching reality
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
two-faced · untrustworthy · hollow · fake · mealy-mouthed · double-dealing · slippery · evasive
Falsely displayed or simulated
- affectedArtificially contrived behavior
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- put-onDeliberate deception or pretense
- artificialMade, not natural
forced · studied · theatrical · posturing · affectation · facade · guise · charade
Coldly self-serving in strategy
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- connivingSecretly planning wrongdoing
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
strategic · coercive · controlling · guileful · underhanded · Machiavellian · shrewd · wily
misleading
Causing false beliefs
- deceitfulInclined to mislead others
- fraudulentInvolving intentional dishonesty
- untruthfulNot speaking facts
mendacious · lying · dissembling · equivocating · misrepresenting · distorting · obfuscating · spin · half-truth · omission
hypocritical
Feigning beliefs one lacks
duplicitous · two-faced · untrustworthy · hollow · fake · mealy-mouthed · double-dealing · slippery · evasive · smooth-talking
feigned
Falsely displayed or simulated
- affectedArtificially contrived behavior
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- put-onDeliberate deception or pretense
artificial · forced · studied · theatrical · posturing · affectation · facade · guise · charade · masquerade
calculating
Coldly self-serving in strategy
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- connivingSecretly planning wrongdoing
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
cunning · strategic · coercive · controlling · guileful · underhanded · Machiavellian · shrewd · wily · crafty
- fakefake, phony, bogus, sham, counterfeit
- wickedevil, wicked, villainous, malicious, sinister