naïveté
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.na·ïve·té
noun \nä-ˌēv-ˈtā, -ˌē-və-; nä-ˈēv-ˌtā, -ˈē-və-; nī-\Definition of NAÏVETÉ
1
: a naive remark or action
2
: the quality or state of being naive
Variants of NAÏVETÉ
na·ïve·té also na·ive·te or na·ive·té \nä-ˌēv-ˈtā, -ˌē-və-; nä-ˈēv-ˌtā, -ˈē-və-; nī-\
Examples of NAÏVETÉ
- <her naïveté led her to leave her new car unlocked while she shopped at the mall>
- <though he was streetwise, the investigative reporter regularly assumed an air of naïveté when he was interviewing confidence men, charlatans, counterfeiters, and other assorted swindlers of the general public>
Origin of NAÏVETÉ
French naïveté, from Old French, inborn character, from naif
First Known Use: 1673
Related to NAÏVETÉ
- Synonyms
- artlessness, greenness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, innocence, naiveness, naivety (also naïvety) [chiefly British], naturalness, simplemindedness, simpleness, simplicity, unsophistication, unworldliness, viridity
- Antonyms
- artfulness, cynicism, knowingness, sophistication, worldliness
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All Words Near: naïveté
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