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Ingenue Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

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ingenue

in-genue

🇺🇸 /ˈɑndʒəˌnu/

Definitions

Context #1 | Noun

acting

An innocent or unsophisticated young woman, especially in a play or film.

Synonyms

innocent, naive, unsophisticated.

Examples of usage

  • She often played the ingenue in romantic comedies.
  • The actress was typecast as the ingenue due to her youthful appearance.
Context #2 | Noun

fashion

A young woman who is endearingly innocent or unsophisticated.

Synonyms

innocent, naive, sweet.

Examples of usage

  • The designer's collection was inspired by the image of a modern ingenue.
  • She captured the essence of an ingenue with her delicate and feminine designs.

Translations

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Quick facts about “ingenue”

Ingenue is a 2-syllable noun (in-genue). It is pronounced /ˈɑndʒəˌnu/. On finesentence.com it has 2 meanings, 6 synonyms, and translations into 21 languages. It ranks #37,040 among the most common English words.

Origin of 'ingenue'

The word 'ingenue' originated in the 19th century from the French word 'ingénu', meaning 'ingenuous' or 'innocent'. It was first used in the context of theater to describe a character type of a young, innocent woman. Over time, the term has evolved to encompass a broader meaning of a sweet and naive young woman, often portrayed in various forms of media.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #37,040, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.