DISINGENUOUS

disingenuous, artful

(adjective) not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness; “an ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who...exemplified...the most disagreeable traits of his time”- David Cannadine; “a disingenuous excuse”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

disingenuous (comparative more disingenuous, superlative most disingenuous)

Not honourable; unworthy of honour

Not ingenuous; not frank or open

Synonym: uncandid

Assuming a pose of naïveté to make a point or for deception.

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "disingenuous" is often applied: attempt, argument, statement, conduct, people, excuse, question, assertion.

Source: Wiktionary


Dis`in*gen"u*ous, a.

1. Not noble; unbecoming true honor or dignity; mean; unworthy; as, disingenuous conduct or schemes.

2. Not ingenuous; wanting in noble candor or frankness; not frank or open; uncandid; unworthily or meanly artful. So disingenuous as not to confess them [faults]. Pope.

– Dis`in*gen"u*ous*ly, adv. T. Warton.

– Dis`in*gen"u*ous*ness, n. Macaulay.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

3 July 2025

SENSE

(noun) the faculty through which the external world is apprehended; “in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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