Standard Lemma guide

disingenuousness

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: D IH2 S IH0 N JH EH1 N Y UW0 AH0 S N AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state or quality of being disingenuous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the quality of being disingenuous and lacking candor

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: ingenuousness

Broader terms: dishonesty

Narrower terms: craftiness, deceitfulness, guile, artfulness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- Proto-Italic *dis- Latin dis- Old French des-bor. ▲ Latin dis-bor. Middle English dis- English dis- English ingenuous English disingenuous Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English disingenuousness From disingenuous + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: hipocresia — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • Catalan: falsa modèstia — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • German: Unaufrichtigkeit — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • German: Unehrlichkeit — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • German: Unredlichkeit — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • German: Hinterlistigkeit — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • Scottish Gaelic: mì-ionracas — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • Scottish Gaelic: mì-dhìrichead — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • Slovak: pokrytectvo — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • Slovak: nečestnosť — state or quality of being disingenuous
  • Spanish: desingenuidad — state or quality of being disingenuous