naive

adjective na·ive \ nä-ˈēv , nī- \

variants: or naïve

|Updated on: 29 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: naive in a Sentence

Definition of naive

naiver; naivest

1 : marked by unaffected simplicity : artless, ingenuous

the experienced man speaks simply and wisely to the naive girl
—Gilbert Highet

2 a : deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment

their naive ignorance of life … when they were first married
—Arnold 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 a : self-taught, primitive

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

naive murals

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naively

or naïvely adverb

—

naiveness

noun

See naive defined for English-language learners

See naive defined for kids

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 of naive from the Web

The suggestion of shipping the North’s nuclear weapons out of the country is naive and dangerous.

— deb riechmann, The Seattle Times, "Experts see risks in US plan to dismantle NKorea’s nukes," 2 July 2018
Her anti-cyberbullying initiative, given her husband’s history, is naive and tone-deaf at best.

— emily stewart, Vox, "“Where’s Melania?” and the first lady’s return to the public eye, explained," 5 June 2018
But that attitude is perhaps rooted in a more naive era.

— craig laban, Philly.com, "It's not my job to pass judgment on a chef's character | Craig LaBan," 25 Jan. 2018
According to Anne Orchier, an organizer with NOLympics LA, a coalition of local organizations opposed to hosting the 2028 Games due to the social and economic costs, the idea that something this large can be low-impact is both naive and misleading.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "Will LA’s ‘no-build’ Olympics spur Southern California’s next building boom?," 10 July 2018
But to call you a drug dealer here, with that same reverence, is naive, out of touch.

— nadia bowers, Time, "What I’d Say to the Drug Dealer Who Gave My Sister a Fatal Dose of Heroin," 19 May 2018
But that was the great thing about being very naive about the story, not realizing this was somewhat of a third rail in Democratic American politics for a while.

— alissa wilkinson, Vox, "Chappaquiddick’s screenwriters on stumbling unwittingly into Kennedy controversy," 16 Apr. 2018
Can a mob wife be more than long suffering, naive, willfully blind, or painfully resilient?

— Vogue, "Juliet Rylance Is Not Your Typical Mafia Girlfriend," 13 Mar. 2018
Jeanne, tempestuous and naive, is still heartbroken over the loss of her first love and contemplates suicide.

— justin chang, latimes.com, "Philippe Garrel's 'Lover for a Day' plays out a delicate, wistful emotional triangle," 25 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'naive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of naive

French naïve, feminine of naïf, from Old French, inborn, natural, from Latin nativus native

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1654

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

naive Synonyms

Phrases

on the level;

Synonym Discussion of 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

NAIVE Defined for English Language Learners

naive

adjective

Definition of naive for English Language Learners

: having or showing a lack of experience or knowledge : innocent or simple

NAIVE Defined for Kids

naive

adjective na·ive

variants: or naïve \nä-ˈēv\

Definition of naive for Students

naiver; naivest

1 : showing lack of experience or knowledge

He asked a lot of naive questions.

2 : being simple and sincere

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naively

adverb

Word Root of naive

The Latin word nāscī, meaning “to be born,” and its form nātus give us the roots nat and nai. Words from the Latin nāscī have something to do with being born. When someone is native to a particular place, she or he was born there. A nation, or country, is a place where people are born. Anyone naive has a lack of knowledge and experience as if he or she was only recently born.