disingenuous

/,disin'dʤenjuəs/

Thân thiện

A politician gave a disingenuous smile during the debate.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness: Describes a person, behavior, or statement that is insincere, crafty, or calculated to deceive by pretending to be open and honest.
   • Lacking in sincerity or genuineness: Characterized by a pretense of naivete or ignorance, often to achieve a hidden advantage.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • His apology seemed disingenuous, as he continued the same behavior.
  • The politician's disingenuous claim of ignorance about the scandal angered the public.
  • She gave a disingenuous smile while secretly plotting her next move.

Advanced Usage

• "to be disingenuous about something": to be insincere or deceitful regarding a specific topic.
  • The CEO was disingenuous about the company's financial difficulties.
• "disingenuous at best": a phrase used to suggest that a statement or action is, in the most charitable interpretation, not honest.
  • His explanation for the missing funds was disingenuous at best.

Variants and Related Words

• Disingenuously (adverb): In a manner that is not honest or sincere.
  • He disingenuously claimed he had never received the email.
• Disingenuousness (noun): The quality of being disingenuous.
  • The disingenuousness of his argument was apparent to everyone in the room.

Synonyms

• Insincere: Not expressing genuine feelings.
• Deceitful: Guilty of or involving deceit; intended to mislead.
• Duplicitous: Deceitful in speech or conduct.
• Two-faced: Insincere and deceitful.
• Guileful: Crafty; cunningly deceitful.

Antonyms

• Genuine: Truly what something is said to be; authentic.
• Sincere: Free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings.
• Candid: Truthful and straightforward; frank.
• Artless: Without guile or deception.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• With a disingenuous air: Behaving in a way that falsely suggests innocence or simplicity.
  • He asked the question with a disingenuous air, already knowing the answer.
• A disingenuous ploy: A cunning or deceptive strategy that pretends to be innocent.
  • Offering to help was just a disingenuous ploy to gain access to confidential information.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. 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

Từ đồng nghĩa

• artful