ingenuousness
Childlike open sincerity
Ingenuousness is the quality of being open, honest, and free from cunning or deception.
An ingenuous person speaks candidly without hidden motives: Her ingenuousness made her ill-suited for office politics.
The word suggests innocence or naiveté—sometimes admirably, sometimes as vulnerability to manipulation.
Not to be confused with ingeniousness, which refers to cleverness or inventiveness.
Truthfulness, sincerity
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- truthfulnessHabit of not lying
- earnestnessGenuine seriousness of intent
- heartfeltDeeply and sincerely meant
unfeigned · wholehearted · trustworthiness · integrity · faithful · real · true · pure
Free from deceit
- unaffectedNot changed or influenced
- unpretentiousLacking false superiority
- unsophisticatedLacking refinement or complexity
- artlessLacking deceit or cunning
simple · natural · unassuming · unstudied · uncontrived · unpolished · rustic · homespun
Direct, unguarded honesty
- directnessQuality of being straightforward
- forthrightnessQuality of being direct
- opennessQuality of being accessible
- transparencyState of being see-through
bluntness · plainspokenness · outspokenness · straightforwardness · openhearted · unguarded · forthcoming · uninhibited
Freedom from wrongdoing
- naiveteInnocent lack of experience
- gullibilityEase of being deceived
- credulityUncritical acceptance of claims
- simplicityLack of complexity
inexperience · unworldliness · greenness · impressionability · wide-eyed · unsuspecting · unquestioning · uncritical
honesty
Truthfulness, sincerity
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- truthfulnessHabit of not lying
- earnestnessGenuine seriousness of intent
heartfelt · unfeigned · wholehearted · trustworthiness · integrity · faithful · real · true · pure · veracity
guileless
Free from deceit
- unaffectedNot changed or influenced
- unpretentiousLacking false superiority
- unsophisticatedLacking refinement or complexity
artless · simple · natural · unassuming · unstudied · uncontrived · unpolished · rustic · homespun · plain
frankness
Direct, unguarded honesty
- directnessQuality of being straightforward
- forthrightnessQuality of being direct
- opennessQuality of being accessible
transparency · bluntness · plainspokenness · outspokenness · straightforwardness · openhearted · unguarded · forthcoming · uninhibited · unrestrained
innocence
Freedom from wrongdoing
- naiveteInnocent lack of experience
- gullibilityEase of being deceived
- credulityUncritical acceptance of claims
simplicity · inexperience · unworldliness · greenness · impressionability · wide-eyed · unsuspecting · unquestioning · uncritical · trusting
- honestyhonesty, truthfulness, candor, sincerity, dishonesty
- innocenceinnocent, innocence, purity, pure, blameless
- childlike innocenceinnocence, wonder, curiosity, playfulness, imagination
- sinceritysincerity, sincere, honesty, candor, earnestness
- naivetenaivety, naive, innocence, gullible, gullibility
ingenuousnessdisingenuousness
Pretended ignorance or naivety
insincerity · dishonesty · deceitfulness · deceit · duplicity
ingenuousnesssophistication
Cultured elegance and complexity
worldliness · knowingness · experience · maturity · jadedness
ingenuousnesscraftiness
Shrewd, devious cleverness
artfulness · cunning · guile · slyness · deviousness
genuine, genuinely, ingenuity, genuineness, ingenuous, ingenue, ingenuously, ingenuities, ingenues