disingenuous

/ˈdɪsənˌdʒɛnjəwəs/

/dɪsɪnˈdʒɛnjuɪs/

Use the adjective disingenuous to describe behavior that's not totally honest or sincere. It's disingenuous when people pretend to know less about something than they really do.

Disingenuous combines dis-, meaning "not," with ingenuous (from the Latin gen-, meaning "born") which was originally used to distinguish free-born Romans from slaves, and later came to mean "honest" or "straightforward." So disingenuous means "dishonest." Ingenuous is less common now than disingenuous, but we still use it for someone who is sincere to the point of naiveté. A good synonym is insincere.

Definitions of disingenuous

1. adjective

   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”

   synonyms: artful

   distorted, misrepresented, perverted, twisted

   having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented

   insincere

   lacking sincerity

   antonyms:

   ingenuous

   characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious

   candid, heart-to-heart, open

   openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness

   undistorted

   without alteration or misrepresentation

   sincere

   open and genuine; not deceitful

   naif, naive

   marked by or showing unaffected simplicity and lack of guile or worldly experience