disingenuous

adjective

Definition of disingenuousnext
as in dishonest

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disingenuous With the salary increases and more opportunities, the federation no longer has a choice but to support its players joining the WNBA, otherwise risk appearing disingenuous. — Eden Laase, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 The court’s ruling is especially disingenuous because on Friday, the Postal Service did promulgate regulations limiting the use of the mail for delivering absentee ballots. — Erwin Chemerinsky, Twin Cities, 30 Aug. 2026 She was especially hurt that some of the people who criticized Cox most harshly, dismissing him as craven and disingenuous, were those who had the closest relationships with him. — Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 There are no controversies and any attempt to generate them is dishonest and disingenuous. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disingenuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disingenuous
  1. dishonest
  2. deceitful
  3. untruthful
  4. contrived
  5. hypocritical
  6. unnatural
  7. devious
  8. assumed
Adjective
  • Of course, there are also age-old hustles so evidently dishonest that there was a time when their exponents risked being hung or shot.
    — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Like the president, Vance describes Democrats as dishonest, pandering, and often stupid.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of dishonest
Adjective
  • Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Bogus texts, mystery calls, deceitful emails all aimed at stealing your personal information and your money are relentless.
    — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceitful
Adjective
  • Those commitments can be withdrawn if Saab is untruthful with investigators or probation officials, commits another crime or otherwise violates the agreement.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
  • However, subsequent video evidence led officials to claim that the officers involved had likely made untruthful statements about what happened.
    — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of untruthful
Adjective
  • His lens democratizes power the contrived space of the studio set, with the goal of empowering real-life servants.
    — Damaly Gonzalez, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • These sequences are no less contrived than the rest of this malformed blockbuster, but their growing emphasis on performativeness helps to paint a target that Iñárritu actually knows how to hit.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of contrived
Adjective
  • Californian Fred Karger, who made history in 2012 as the first openly gay person to run for president, had mixed views about the ad, calling it shrewd yet hypocritical.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Some churches have rightly been accused of being partisan, hypocritical and discriminatory toward women and minorities.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Adjective
  • The California Department of Public Health said animals with rabies will often have strange or unnatural behavior.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Generated by an internal large language model (LLM), OpenAI’s proof relies on an approach that many experts find unnatural.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of unnatural
Adjective
  • In his first franchise outing, writer-director Zach Cregger eschews obvious sequel hooks for something more devious.
    — Britina Cheng, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Actually, the fake news was smarter than that — and therefore more devious and effective.
    — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of devious
Adjective
  • The assumed inference is that travelers rely on Google for their travel needs and that informative brochures and knowledgeable attendants are a quaint idea that has outlived its usefulness.
    — Frank Hosek, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Shortly after Hollander was identified as the assumed killer, the rest of his car was searched and police started to suspect him in another murder case with similar details.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of assumed

Browse Nearby Words

disinformation
disingenuous
disinherit
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Cite this Entry

“Disingenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disingenuous. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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