naive

adjective

na·​ive nä-ˈēv 

nī-

variants or naïve

naiver; naivest

1

: marked by innocence or simplicity : artless, ingenuous

a naive belief that all people are good

"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

: having or showing lack of experience or knowledge

She may be naïve about love, but she is good with the law.

—Susie Bright

… naïve country boy like Ho, unfamiliar with the dangers all around him …

—Helen Zia

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

a naive painter

b

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

naive murals

naively adverb

or naïvely

We naively believed we could fix the problem.

naiveness noun

Synonyms of naive

• innocent
• simple
• inexperienced
• immature
• primitive
• unsophisticated

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

But these juvenile white sharks may be naive to orcas. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025

Her seemingly naive caregiver prays for guidance in her duties, with Clark evoking Sissy Spacek's Carrie White in her apparent unworldliness. —Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

Cuomo has sought to cast Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblymember, as a naive candidate whose agenda would damage the city. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025

But anyone imagining that this problem will be resolved by taking games beyond international borders is extremely naive. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for naive

• achieve
• believe
• conceive
• deceive
• perceive
• receive
• relieve
• reprieve
• retrieve
• breve
• cleave
• cleeve

Kids Definition

naive

adjective

na·​ive

variants or naïve

nä-ˈēv 

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

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