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adjective
1.
having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
2.
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.
3.
having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique: valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
4.
not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.
Also, na·ïve.
Origin:
1645–55; < French, feminine of naïf, Old French naif natural, instinctive < Latin nātīvus native
1645–55; < French, feminine of naïf, Old French naif natural, instinctive < Latin nātīvus native
Related forms
na·ive·ly, adverb
na·ive·ness, noun
un·na·ive, adjective
un·na·ive·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. simple, unaffected, unsuspecting, artless, guileless, candid, open, plain.
1. simple, unaffected, unsuspecting, artless, guileless, candid, open, plain.
Antonyms
1. sophisticated, artful.
1. sophisticated, artful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Naiveness
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| naive, naïve or naïf (naɪˈiːv) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | a. having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous |
| b. (as collective noun; preceded by the): only the naive believed him | |
| 2. | artless or unsophisticated |
| 3. | lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticism: a naive argument |
| 4. | another word for primitive |
| —n | |
| 5. | rare See primitive a person who is naive, esp in artistic style |
| [C17: from French, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin nātīvus | |
| naïve, naïve or naïf | |
| —adj | |
| —n | |
| [C17: from French, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin nātīvus | |
| naïf, naïve or naïf | |
| —adj | |
| —n | |
| [C17: from French, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin nātīvus | |
| na'ively, naïve or naïf | |
| —adv | |
| na'ïvely, naïve or naïf | |
| —adv | |
| na'ïfly, naïve or naïf | |
| —adv | |
| na'iveness, naïve or naïf | |
| —n | |
| na'ïveness, naïve or naïf | |
| —n | |
| na'ïfness, naïve or naïf | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
naive
1650s, from Fr. naïve, fem. of naïf, from O.Fr. naif "naive, natural, just born," from L. nativus "not artificial," also "native, rustic," lit. "born, innate, natural" (see native).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
naive na·ive or na·ïve (nä-ēv') or na·if or na·ïf (nä-ēf')
adj.
Lacking worldliness and sophistication.
Simple and credulous as a child.
Not previously subjected to experiments.
Not having previously taken or received a particular drug.
One who is artless, credulous, or uncritical.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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