ingenue

thumb|Actress Mary Pickford played a number of ingénue roles. thumb|Actress Mildred Davis in 1923 thumb|The Ingenue, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1877) The ingénue (, , ) is a stock character in literature, film, and theater. She is a girl or a young woman who is defined by her endearing innocence and naïvety. Ingénue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in such roles. The term comes from the feminine form of the French adjective meaning "ingenuous" or innocent, naïve, and sincere. The term may also imply a lack of sophistication and cunning. The vamp (femme fatale) is often a foil for the ingénue.

Typically, the ingénue is beautiful, gentle, sweet-natured, virginal and naïve; additionally, she is often in mental, emotional, or even physical danger—usually a target of the cad, whom she may have mistaken for the hero. The ingénue's naïvety frequently makes her vulnerable, as she cannot understand that the intentions of others are not as pure as her own. The ingénue is thus closely linked with the "Damsel In Distress" trope. The ingénue usually lives with her father, husband, or a father figure.