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Simpleton vs Ingenuous - What's the difference?

simpleton | ingenuous |

As a noun simpleton

is (pejorative) a simple person lacking common sense.

As an adjective ingenuous is

naive and trusting.

simpleton

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (pejorative) A simple person lacking common sense.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=May 15 , author=Scott Tobias , title=Film: Reviews: The Dictator , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=Baron Cohen’s new creation (and the previous ones, too) has its roots in Groucho characters like Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding, Otis B. Driftwood, and Prof. Quincy Adams Wagstaff, and the concept of a pompous simpleton running a rogue nation has obvious parallels to Duck Soup’s Rufus T. Firefly, who leads the country of Fredonia to a needless and highly preventable war. }}
  • * 2001 — , Artemis Fowl , p 92
  • The stranger had crossed a sacred line. He had mentioned the men's mothers. Nothing could get him out of a beating now, even the fact that he was obviously a simpleton'. Albeit a ' simpleton with a good vocabulary.

    ingenuous

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Naive and trusting.
  • Demonstrating childlike simplicity.
  • * 1919 ,
  • "Do you mean to say you didn't leave your wife for another woman?"
    "Of course not."
    "On your word of honour?"
    I don't know why I asked for that. It was very ingenuous of me.
  • Unsophisticated; simple.
  • Unable to mask one's feelings.
  • Straightforward, candid, open, and frank.
  • Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * disingenuous

    Usage notes

    Do not confuse with ingenious.