Ingenious refers to cleverness or inventiveness.
- Craig is so ingenious that he can build toys from scraps.
Ingenuous means “innocent or trusting.”
- The toddler broke into an ingenuous grin as Santa Claus invited her to sit on his lap.
Disingenuous means “insincere, hypocritical, devious or dishonest.”
- Lee tried to appear innocent, but I recognized her disingenuous tricks.
- Kirk denied eating the freshly baked cookies; but his disingenuous look and the crumbs on his chin gave him away.
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