naive

adjective

na·ive nä-ˈēv How to pronounce naive (audio)

nī-

variants or naïve

naiver; naivest

: marked by unaffected simplicity : artless, ingenuous

"Coat!" said Russelton, with an appearance of the most naive surprise …; "coat, Sir Willoughby! do you call this thing a coat?"

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

: deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment

their naive ignorance of life … when they were first married

Arnold Bennett

especially : credulous

… tells tall tales of the West to tweak naïve city slickers.

Miriam Horn

: not previously subjected to experimentation or a particular experimental situation

made the test with naive rats

also : not having previously used a particular drug (such as marijuana)

: not having been exposed previously to an antigen

naive T cells

: self-taught, primitive

: produced by or as if by a self-taught artist

naive murals

naively adverb

or naïvely

naiveness noun

Example Sentences

Secularism requires a commitment to civil liberty, which rests partly on respect for civil disobedience—peaceful acts of conscience that challenge rules of law. If civil libertarianism is naïve, then so is the hope of secular government.

Wendy Kaminer, Free Inquiry, December 2008/January 2009 He exhibits a naïve sort of confidence when talking about the doubts surrounding him and the perceived slights in the draft run-up.

Peter King, Sports Illustrated, 1 May 2006 His crimes were described as mere bumps in the road, minor offenses committed by a man-boy described as innocent, naïve, trusting, a simple country boy who got lost in airports and was astonished to find out that he could order a pizza over the phone.

Pat Jordan, Harper's, October 2004 a naive belief that all people are good a naive view of the world She asked a lot of naive questions. I was young and naive at the time, and I didn't think anything bad could happen to me. The plan seems a little naive. If you're naive enough to believe him, you'll believe anyone. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Gonis and everyone else thinks the name was stupid, naive and inappropriate, and no one is sure why the University of Illinois students chose it.

courant.com, 7 Mar. 2022 Amelie Zilber has also joined grown-ish season 5 as Lauryn, a naive freshman who's a little shy and awkward and overcompensates in an attempt to mask her insecurities.

Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 17 Aug. 2022 The series will then show how that naive young woman became a conniving and formidable queen, who's played in the future timeline by British actress Samantha Morton.

Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, 12 Aug. 2022 The policy of engagement with China that Biden advocated in 1979 is maligned as a colossal blunder dreamed up by naive ivory-tower elites.

Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2022 In part, it's based on the fact that there's very few people who are immune-naive, so people feel rightly more impervious to a bad outcome.

CBS News, 17 July 2022 Negotiating a prenuptial agreement, for instance, connotes bad faith, but forgoing one as Justin and Hailey Bieber did is considered risky and naive.

Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 21 July 2022 It is still said a lot that contemporary African art is often naive and colorful, but this is not true.

Y-jean Mun-delsalle, Forbes, 26 June 2022 Some opponents took to name-calling and attacked Collins for being naive or complicit.

David Sharp, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2022 See More

naive

adjective

variants or naïve

as in innocent

lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment a first-time buyer who was so naive that he believed the salesman's spiel and paid good money for the rusty and broken-down car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

innocent
inexperienced
unsophisticated
simple
immature
ingenuous
simpleminded
naif
uncritical
trusting
unworldly
trustful
naïf
primitive
unsuspicious
unsuspecting
careless
unknowing
childish
unwary
wide-eyed
idealistic
dewy-eyed
dewy
green
gullible
childlike
callow
aw-shucks
unrealistic
credulous
believing
impractical
susceptible
thoughtless
duped
gullable
beguiled
tricked
gulled
raw
unguarded
heedless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cynical
sophisticated
worldly
skeptical
experienced
suspicious
cosmopolitan
incredulous
cautious
knowing
critical
unconvinced
careful
wary
doubting
worldly-wise
pragmatic
realistic
watchful
leery
hardheaded
guarded
pragmatical
sober
suspecting
leary
streetwise
down-to-earth
street-smart

as in honest

free from any intent to deceive or impress others the young girl gave honest and naive answers to the social worker's probing questions

Synonyms & Similar Words

honest
genuine
true
simple
guileless
ingenuous
real
sincere
artless
innocent
unaffected
straightforward
unpretentious
frank
unsophisticated
unpretending
inexperienced
candid
childlike
impressionable
simpleminded
unworldly
straight
open
natural
spontaneous
plain
gullible
malleable
direct
wide-eyed
persuadable
unstudied
dewy-eyed
trusting
on the level
trustful
openhearted
unforced
plainspoken
unguarded
gee-whiz
susceptible
unwary
persuasible
single-minded
gullable
free
exploitable
free-spoken

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cynical
assuming
false
dishonest
critical
skeptical
pretentious
artificial
suspicious
wary
insincere
affected
sophisticated
artful
fake
phony
mistrustful
worldly
phoney
cosmopolitan
hypocritical
deceptive
manipulative
cultured
guileful
civilized
deceitful
shrewd
refined
devious
polished
dissembling
cunning
dissimulating
cultivated
crooked
subtle
wily
sly
worldly-wise
tricky
crafty
shifty
scheming
sharp
smooth
slick
slippery
underhanded
foxy
calculating
sycophantic
designing
flattering
unctuous
two-faced
arch
feigned
forced
canny
strained
knavish
double-dealing
mealymouthed

as in easy

readily taken advantage of we get piles of junk mail because you are naive enough to keep entering these dumb contests

Synonyms & Similar Words

easy
trusting
gullible
innocent
susceptible
trustful
gullable
unwary
wide-eyed
simple
exploitable
unsophisticated
credulous
dewy-eyed
guileless
uncritical
unsuspicious
unworldly
unsuspecting
artless
genuine
malleable
amiable
obliging
acquiescent
overcredulous
pliant
pliable
deceivable
agreeable
fictile
yielding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cynical
skeptical
wary
suspicious
mistrustful
critical
sophisticated
hardheaded
shrewd
streetwise
clear-eyed
clear-sighted
street-smart

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of naive are artless, ingenuous, natural, and unsophisticated. While all these words mean "free from pretension or calculation," naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

The meanings of artless and naive largely overlap; however, artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

Although the words ingenuous and naive have much in common, ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

The synonyms natural and naive are sometimes interchangeable, but natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

While in some cases nearly identical to naive, unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

单词	naive
释义	naive adjective na·ive nä-ˈēv nī- variants or naïve naiver; naivest 1 : marked by unaffected simplicity : artless, ingenuous "Coat!" said Russelton, with an appearance of the most naive surprise …; "coat, Sir Willoughby! do you call this thing a coat?" Edward Bulwer-Lytton 2 a : deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment their naive ignorance of life … when they were first married Arnold Bennett especially : credulous … tells tall tales of the West to tweak naïve city slickers. Miriam Horn b : not previously subjected to experimentation or a particular experimental situation made the test with naive rats also : not having previously used a particular drug (such as marijuana) c : not having been exposed previously to an antigen naive T cells 3 a : self-taught, primitive b : produced by or as if by a self-taught artist naive murals naively adverb or naïvely naiveness noun Synonyms aw-shucks dewy dewy-eyed green ingenuous innocent naïf naif primitive simple simpleminded uncritical unknowing unsophisticated unsuspecting unsuspicious unwary unworldly wide-eyed See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Secularism requires a commitment to civil liberty, which rests partly on respect for civil disobedience—peaceful acts of conscience that challenge rules of law. If civil libertarianism is naïve, then so is the hope of secular government. Wendy Kaminer, Free Inquiry, December 2008/January 2009 He exhibits a naïve sort of confidence when talking about the doubts surrounding him and the perceived slights in the draft run-up. Peter King, Sports Illustrated, 1 May 2006 His crimes were described as mere bumps in the road, minor offenses committed by a man-boy described as innocent, naïve, trusting, a simple country boy who got lost in airports and was astonished to find out that he could order a pizza over the phone. Pat Jordan, Harper's, October 2004 a naive belief that all people are good a naive view of the world She asked a lot of naive questions. I was young and naive at the time, and I didn't think anything bad could happen to me. The plan seems a little naive. If you're naive enough to believe him, you'll believe anyone. See More Recent Examples on the Web Gonis and everyone else thinks the name was stupid, naive and inappropriate, and no one is sure why the University of Illinois students chose it. courant.com, 7 Mar. 2022 Amelie Zilber has also joined grown-ish season 5 as Lauryn, a naive freshman who's a little shy and awkward and overcompensates in an attempt to mask her insecurities. Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 17 Aug. 2022 The series will then show how that naive young woman became a conniving and formidable queen, who's played in the future timeline by British actress Samantha Morton. Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, 12 Aug. 2022 The policy of engagement with China that Biden advocated in 1979 is maligned as a colossal blunder dreamed up by naive ivory-tower elites. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2022 In part, it's based on the fact that there's very few people who are immune-naive, so people feel rightly more impervious to a bad outcome. CBS News, 17 July 2022 Negotiating a prenuptial agreement, for instance, connotes bad faith, but forgoing one as Justin and Hailey Bieber did is considered risky and naive. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 21 July 2022 It is still said a lot that contemporary African art is often naive and colorful, but this is not true. Y-jean Mun-delsalle, Forbes, 26 June 2022 Some opponents took to name-calling and attacked Collins for being naive or complicit. David Sharp, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology French naïve, feminine of naïf, from Old French, inborn, natural, from Latin nativus native First Known Use 1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition naive adjective na·ive variants or naïve nä-ˈēv naiver; naivest 1 : showing lack of experience or knowledge He asked a lot of naive questions. 2 : being simple and sincere Medical Definition naive adjective na·ive variants or naïve nä-ˈēv naiver; naivest 1 : not previously subjected to experimentation or a particular experimental situation naive laboratory rats 2 : not having previously used a particular drug (as marijuana) 3 : not having been exposed previously to an antigen a naive immune system naive T cells naive adjective variants or naïve 1 as in innocent lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment a first-time buyer who was so naive that he believed the salesman's spiel and paid good money for the rusty and broken-down car Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance innocent inexperienced unsophisticated simple immature ingenuous simpleminded naif uncritical trusting unworldly trustful naïf primitive unsuspicious unsuspecting careless unknowing childish unwary wide-eyed idealistic dewy-eyed dewy green gullible childlike callow aw-shucks unrealistic credulous believing impractical susceptible thoughtless duped gullable beguiled tricked gulled raw unguarded heedless Antonyms & Near Antonyms cynical sophisticated worldly skeptical experienced suspicious cosmopolitan incredulous cautious knowing critical unconvinced careful wary doubting worldly-wise pragmatic realistic watchful leery hardheaded guarded pragmatical sober suspecting leary streetwise down-to-earth street-smart See More 2 as in honest free from any intent to deceive or impress others the young girl gave honest and naive answers to the social worker's probing questions Synonyms & Similar Words honest genuine true simple guileless ingenuous real sincere artless innocent unaffected straightforward unpretentious frank unsophisticated unpretending inexperienced candid childlike impressionable simpleminded unworldly straight open natural spontaneous plain gullible malleable direct wide-eyed persuadable unstudied dewy-eyed trusting on the level trustful openhearted unforced plainspoken unguarded gee-whiz susceptible unwary persuasible single-minded gullable free exploitable free-spoken Antonyms & Near Antonyms cynical assuming false dishonest critical skeptical pretentious artificial suspicious wary insincere affected sophisticated artful fake phony mistrustful worldly phoney cosmopolitan hypocritical deceptive manipulative cultured guileful civilized deceitful shrewd refined devious polished dissembling cunning dissimulating cultivated crooked subtle wily sly worldly-wise tricky crafty shifty scheming sharp smooth slick slippery underhanded foxy calculating sycophantic designing flattering unctuous two-faced arch feigned forced canny strained knavish double-dealing mealymouthed See More 3 as in easy readily taken advantage of we get piles of junk mail because you are naive enough to keep entering these dumb contests Synonyms & Similar Words easy trusting gullible innocent susceptible trustful gullable unwary wide-eyed simple exploitable unsophisticated credulous dewy-eyed guileless uncritical unsuspicious unworldly unsuspecting artless genuine malleable amiable obliging acquiescent overcredulous pliant pliable deceivable agreeable fictile yielding Antonyms & Near Antonyms cynical skeptical wary suspicious mistrustful critical sophisticated hardheaded shrewd streetwise clear-eyed clear-sighted street-smart See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of naive are artless, ingenuous, natural, and unsophisticated. While all these words mean "free from pretension or calculation," naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence. politically naive The meanings of artless and naive largely overlap; however, artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others. artless charm Although the words ingenuous and naive have much in common, ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions. the ingenuous enthusiasm of children The synonyms natural and naive are sometimes interchangeable, but natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world. her unaffected, natural manner While in some cases nearly identical to naive, unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness. unsophisticated adolescents
随便看	cantonments cantons cantor cantorate cantoria cantorial cantorias cantorie cantoris cantors cantos cantrails cantraips cantraps cantred cantreds cantref cantrefs cantrip cantrips cants cantsaw file Cantua cantus cantus firmus

naive

adjective

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

Medical Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser