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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.

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