Need another word that means the same as “disingenuous”? Find 13 synonyms and 30 related words for “disingenuous” in this overview.
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The synonyms of “Disingenuous” are: artful, dishonest, deceitful, underhand, underhanded, duplicitous, double-dealing, two-faced, insincere, false, lying, untruthful, mendacious
Disingenuous as an Adjective
Definitions of "Disingenuous" as an adjective
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “disingenuous” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
- Not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness.
- Not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness- David Cannadine.
- Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.
Synonyms of "Disingenuous" as an adjective (13 Words)
| artful | Not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness- David Cannadine. The artful dodger. |
| deceitful | Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill. Deceitful advertising. |
| dishonest | Behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy, deceitful, or insincere way. Dishonest politicians. |
| double-dealing | Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill. |
| duplicitous | Deceitful. A duplicitous philanderer. |
| false | Used in names of plants animals and gems that superficially resemble the thing properly so called e g false oat. A false passport. |
| insincere | Not expressing genuine feelings. Their praise was extravagant and insincere. |
| lying | Not telling the truth. He s a lying cheating snake in the grass. |
| mendacious | Not telling the truth; lying. A mendacious statement. |
| two-faced | Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill. |
| underhand | Acting or done in a secret or dishonest way. Underhand bowling. |
| underhanded | Marked by deception. Underhanded practices. |
| untruthful | Not expressing or given to expressing the truth. The statement given under oath was untruthful. |
Usage Examples of "Disingenuous" as an adjective
- This journalist was being somewhat disingenuous as well as cynical.
- A disingenuous excuse.
- An ambitious, disingenuous, philistine, and hypocritical operator, who…exemplified…the most disagreeable traits of his time.
Associations of "Disingenuous" (30 Words)
| artful | Showing creative skill or taste. An artful choice of metaphors. |
| bombastic | High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated. Bombastic music that drowned out what anyone was saying. |
| changed | Changed in constitution or structure or composition by metamorphism. He s an altered or changed man since his election to Congress. |
| crooked | Having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned. His teeth were yellow and crooked. |
| deformed | (of a person or part of the body) not having the normal or natural shape or form; misshapen. His deformed hands. |
| dishonest | Behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy, deceitful, or insincere way. He was a dishonest hypocrite prepared to exploit his family. |
| distorted | So badly formed or out of shape as to be ugly. His poor distorted limbs. |
| exaggerated | Regarded or represented as larger, better, or worse than in reality. Thick lenses exaggerated the size of her eyes. |
| extremely | To a very great degree; very. Extremely unpleasant. |
| fawning | Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery. Fawning interviews with Hollywood celebs. |
| feigned | Simulated or pretended; insincere. Feigned sympathy. |
| flattery | Excessive or insincere praise. She allowed no hint of flattery to enter her voice. |
| garble | A garbled account or transmission. Upon winning a race a driver spews out a litany of commercial garble. |
| hypocritical | Behaving in a way that suggests one has higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case. It would be entirely hypocritical of me to say I regret it because I don t. |
| immoderate | Not sensible or restrained; excessive. Immoderate laughter. |
| insincere | Lacking sincerity. Their praise was extravagant and insincere. |
| manipulate | Manipulate in a fraudulent manner. The masses were deceived and manipulated by a tiny group. |
| meretricious | Based on pretense; deceptively pleasing. Meretricious souvenirs for the tourist trade. |
| morbid | Suggesting an unhealthy mental state. Morbid curiosity. |
| obsequious | Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery. They were served by obsequious waiters. |
| overly | Excessively. She was a jealous and overly possessive woman. |
| smarmy | Ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is regarded as insincere or excessive. A smarmy unctuous reply. |
| specious | Misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive. The music trade gives Golden Oldies a specious appearance of novelty. |
| twisted | Having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented. Many of the facts seemed twisted out of any semblance to reality. |
| untrue | Not true to an obligation or trust-Bruno Laske. Unfortunately the statement was simply untrue. |
| untrustworthy | Not able to be relied on as honest or truthful. An untrustworthy person. |
| warped | Bent or twisted out of shape, typically as a result of the effects of heat or damp. A warped sense of humour. |
| wind | Wind instruments or specifically woodwind instruments forming a band or a section of an orchestra. When there is no wind row. |
| worm | An earthworm. I wormed her over a course of three weeks. |
| wrest | Forcibly pull (something) from a person’s grasp. Wrest a meaning from the old text. |