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Noun: ingénue  'an-ju,noo [N. Amer], 'aÑ,zhe'nyoo or 'aÑ,zhu'noo [Brit]
  1. The role of an innocent artless young woman in a play
    "She was typecast as the ingénue in romantic comedies"
     
  2. An actress who specializes in playing the role of an artless innocent young girl
    "The ingénue had a talent for portraying wide-eyed innocence in period dramas"
     
  3. An artless innocent young girl (especially as portrayed on the stage)
    "She played the role of the ingénue perfectly, capturing the character's naivety and charm"

Derived forms: ingénues

Type of: actor, character, histrion [archaic], juvenile, juvenile person, part, persona, player, role, role player, theatrical role, thesp [Brit, informal], thespian

Encyclopedia: Ingénue