guileless

adjective

guile·​less ˈgī(-ə)l-ləs How to pronounce guileless (audio)
: innocent, naive
a straightforward man with a guileless smile
guilelessly adverb
guilelessness noun

Examples of guileless in a Sentence

she was an easygoing, guileless young woman who was comfortable just being herself
Recent Examples on the Web And was there ever a more perfect person to play this guileless, sweetly kooky role than Fred Armisen? Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 The whole idea of a tourist attraction built as a guileless ode to love, and shrine to a Slovak poem, may strike you, at first blush, as defying both rhyme and reason. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 Her baking lesson, given with nervous kindness, along with the generosity of guileless Wayne and wiser daughter Scotty (Sienna King), soothes a wary Munch, who talks of having to eat the bitter sins of others. Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2024 DeBose is more stoic, her character guarded but also somewhat guileless. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2024 Folks seem to love themselves some Gypsy, a young Louisiana woman with a high voice and seemingly guileless personality. Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2024 Willy, in his guileless innocence, actually believes her. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2023 Her character in the latter, the vivacious, guileless, scene-stealing Helen, with her impeccable comic timing and wardrobe of glittering frocks, is, in some senses, a younger, sweeter, more naïve spiritual sister to the steely Elspeth. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Dec. 2023 Her Sandra can be vivid and elusive, warm and guarded, calculating and oddly guileless. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guileless.' 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

see guile

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guileless was circa 1616

Dictionary Entries Near guileless

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

guileless

adjective
guile·​less ˈgī(ə)l-ləs How to pronounce guileless (audio)
: not sly or tricky : innocent, naïve
a guileless person
a guileless smile
guilelessly adverb
guilelessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on guileless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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