Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of being disingenuous: The state or characteristic of not being straightforward or honest; a lack of sincerity and candor in one's actions or words.
   • Lack of candor: The deliberate withholding of one's true feelings, opinions, or knowledge, often to create a false impression or to avoid directness.

Usage

• As a subject: is often difficult to detect in a casual conversation.
• As an object: I was disappointed by the politician's obvious during the interview.
• With a possessive: Her made it impossible to trust her promises.

Examples

• The salesman's was apparent when he claimed the used car had never had any problems.
• In diplomacy, a certain level of is sometimes expected, but outright lies are not tolerated.
• His apology was filled with such that it only made people angrier.

Advanced Usage

• "a veneer of disingenuousness": A superficial layer of insincerity.
  • His charm was just a veneer of disingenuousness covering his ruthless ambition.
• "to detect/discem disingenuousness": To recognize a lack of honesty.
  • A good journalist can often detect the disingenuousness in a prepared statement.

Variants and Related Words

• Disingenuous (adj): Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.
  • It was disingenuous of her to say she hadn't been involved in the decision.
• Ingenuousness (n): The quality of being innocent, sincere, and candid. (This is the direct antonym of ).
  • The child's ingenuousness was refreshing.

Synonyms

• Insincerity: The quality of not expressing genuine feelings.
• Dishonesty: Deceitfulness shown in someone's character or behavior.
• Duplicity: Deceitfulness; double-dealing.
• Guile: Sly or cunning intelligence used to deceive.

Antonyms

• Candor: The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness.
• Sincerity: The quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.
• Frankness: The quality of being open, honest, and direct in speech or writing.
• Genuineness: The quality of being truly what something is said to be; authenticity.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "With a disingenuous smile": Smiling in a way that is not sincere or honest.
  • He agreed with a disingenuous smile, already planning to do the opposite.
• "An air of disingenuousness": A general impression or atmosphere of insincerity.
  • The whole proposal was delivered with an air of disingenuousness that put the committee on edge.

Noun

1. the quality of being disingenuous and lacking candor