ingenuo
naive
adjective een-HEH-nwoh Rare
Origin: From Latin ingenuus ('freeborn, frank'), which later developed the sense of artless simplicity.
Also means
ingenuous
Usage Note
Ingenuo describes someone who is innocently trusting or unsophisticated, not necessarily in a negative way — context determines tone. The feminine form is ingenua; the noun is ingenuidad ('naivety'). Do not confuse it with ingenioso ('clever, ingenious'), a near-look-alike that means almost the opposite.
Examples
"No seas tan ingenuo; te están mintiendo."
Natural Translation
Don't be so naive; they are lying to you.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic
SpanishNow
6 min read