guileless

adjective

guile·​less ˈgī(-ə)l-ləs 

: innocent, naive

a straightforward man with a guileless smile

guilelessly adverb

guilelessness noun

Synonyms

• unaffected
• genuine
• innocent
• honest
• simple
• true
• naive

Examples of guileless in a Sentence

she was an easygoing, guileless young woman who was comfortable just being herself

Recent Examples on the Web

Whereas the title Amerika emphasizes the setting, The Missing Person points to the novel’s focus on the travails of a guileless hero struggling to find his footing in a frenetic new world. —Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025

Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance. —John Seabrook, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

But Meg Stalter is not so much clueless as compassionately guileless. —Anna Peele, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025

His career hamstrung by bipolar disorder and stints in psychiatric hospitals, Johnston first found acclaim as an unguarded and guileless songwriter in the late ’80s with tunes that cut instantly to the emotional quick. —Grayson Haver Currin Eli Durst, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

see guile

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

guileless

adjective

guile·​less ˈgī(ə)l-ləs 

: not sly or tricky : innocent, naïve

a guileless person

a guileless smile

guilelessly adverb

guilelessness noun