Definitions: (1) showing innocent or childlike simplicity; naive; (2) free from reserve, disguise, or equivocation; fair; (3) unpretentious, modest
Derivation: Latin, “native, inborn.” The original sense was ‘innocently frank.’ {late 17th century}
Synonyms: candid, open
Ingenuous implies one who is actuated by candor and love of truth making them willing to speak their minds without reserve; natural implies a spontaneity lacking artificiality or self-consciousness.
Quote: Permission to be wrong, wedded with a responsibility to be right, creates a powerful, civilizing tension. We are a species ingenious enough to project our intellect out across the universe, and ingenuous enough to feel awe at the spectacles the sky still offers at home.— Jeffrey Kluger (1954) American writer
Mythological Figure: The god Mercury [also a symbol for Eloquent]