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naive
[ nah-eev ]
adjective
- having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous:
She's so naive she believes everything she reads.
He has a very naive attitude toward politics.
- having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
Synonyms: plain, open, candid, guileless, artless, unaffected, simple
Antonyms: artful, sophisticated
- having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique:
valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
- not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.
naive
/ naɪˈiːv /
adjective
- having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous
- ( as collective noun; preceded by the )
only the naive believed him
- artless or unsophisticated
- lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticism
a naive argument
- another word for primitive
noun
- rare.a person who is naive, esp in artistic style See primitive
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Usage Note
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Derived Forms
- naˈiveness, noun
- naˈively, adverb
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Other Words From
- na·ive·ly adverb
- na·ive·ness noun
- un·na·ive adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of naive1
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Example Sentences
We knew that many academics today would consider our mission naïve.
In this context, and at this time, the action by Neil MacGregor and his Trustees might seem not merely naïve, but irresponsible.
Journalism professor leading a bunch of naïve students around by their noses?
This is naïve: what the owners feared was losing their exemption from antitrust laws.
The self-portraits in particular confounded the art world, who reviewed them in unflattering terms like “naïve” and “pedestrian.”
The soul's confessions of that dear young lady were delightful in their naïve innocence.
The naïve conception of sky and earth, and lastly the moral issue of the story, are no less instructive.
The naïve mind of the doctor regarded the name as significant in view of his mission; Sata was assuredly a Satanist.
Harwood grinned at the youth's naïve references to Edward Thatcher's political ambitions.
There was a little laugh and a silence at this display of naïve wisdom.
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