naive

adjective

na·​ive nä-ˈēv How to pronounce naive (audio)
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 marriedArnold 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
b
: produced by or as if by a self-taught artist
naive murals
naively adverb
or naïvely
naiveness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for naive

natural, ingenuous, naive, unsophisticated, artless mean free from pretension or calculation.

natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

Examples of naive in a Sentence

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.
Recent Examples on the Web Quaid’s role, a naive sailor sentenced to eight years’ time for a petty offense, nearly went to John Travolta. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Watch Hustle on Netflix Hubie Halloween In the 2020 Halloween comedy Hubie Halloween, Sandler plays Hubie, a naive yet loveable goof who is a bit of an outcast. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 For years, the vision of an Israeli state and a Palestinian state existing side by side in peace and security has been derided as hopelessly naive—or worse, as a dangerous illusion. Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Instead, in the final chapter, May professes a naive faith that all this can only be solved if careerist politicians and state officials adopt an ethic of public service. Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Directed by Paul King, Wonka follows a young and naive Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) arriving in England to pursue his dreams of opening a chocolate shop. Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2024 While some have criticized such workers as being naive to the realities of the job market, experts say the impulse to share is helping young workers process a painful aspect of working life. Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024 Here, the delusion that the lives of Black artists are urgently endangered can take on the false weight of conventional wisdom—and inspire a blessedly naive white man to believe that a Broadway writer is somehow in dire need of a bulletproof vest. Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024 To be sure, people are not naive about the political nature of Supreme Court decision-making. Jessica A. Schoenherr, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'naive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of naive was in 1614

Dictionary Entries Near naive

Cite this Entry

“Naive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

naive

adjective
na·​ive
variants or naïve
naiver; naivest
1
: marked by honest simplicity : artless
2
: showing lack of experience or knowledge : credulous
naively adverb
Etymology

from French naïve "having a natural simplicity and honesty," from early French naïf "being part of the nature of a person from birth, native, inborn," from Latin nativus "native," from natus, past participle of nasci "to be born" — related to native

Medical Definition

naive

adjective
na·​ive
variants or naïve
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

More from Merriam-Webster on naive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!