disingenuously
UK[ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒenjuəsli]US[ˌdɪsɪnˈdʒenjuəsli]
adv
in a manner that is not sincere or honest, especially by pretending to know less about something than one really does.
Morpheme Breakdown
dis
ingenuous
ly
dis
negation
ingenuous
sincere
ly
adverb suffix
Etymology
the word's journey begins with the latin ingenuus, which described someone freeborn and, by extension, noble and candid in character. the negative prefix dis- was added to form disingenuous, creating a term for the opposite of that native honesty—a calculated pretense of naivete or ignorance. the adverbial suffix -ly, of germanic origin, then transforms this quality into a descriptor of manner. thus, the literal components "away from native honesty" evolved into the modern meaning of acting with insincere cunning.
Analysis
Structure: dis (negation) + ingenuous (sincere) + ly (adverb suffix)
- dis: a latin prefix meaning "apart," "away," or having a negative, reversing force.
- ingenuous: from latin ingenuus, meaning "native," "freeborn," or "honest." in english, it means "innocently straightforward."
- ly: an old english suffix used to form adverbs from adjectives.
Examples
he answered the lawyer's questions disingenuously, feigning a poor memory.
the advertisement was criticized for disingenuously claiming the product was "completely natural."
she smiled disingenuously while offering compliments she clearly did not mean.