naivete

noun

na·ive·te | \ nä-ˌēv-ˈtā ,

-ˌē-və- ; nä-ˈēv-ˌtā , -ˈē-və- ; nī- \

variants: or naïveté or less commonly naiveté

Definition of naivete

1 : a naive remark or action The farce is noted for its ridiculous acts and naïvetés.

2 : the quality or state of being naive His account sometimes displays a gee-whiz naiveté … —Gregory McNamee

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about naivete

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Examples of naivete in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Nobody could have predicted the implications, but what annoys with the Zuckerberg testimony and so on is still this game of naivete. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Business management expert and author Tom Peters on Recode Decode," 7 July 2018 The naivete that stems from a mix of inexperience and hubris once again hobbled him here. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump’s go-it-alone approach to foreign policy angers allies, benefits adversaries," 25 May 2018 Is there a statute of limitations on childhood naivete? — Tonya Alanez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "South Florida's Rob Hiaasen, novelist Carl Hiaasen's brother, killed in newsroom shooting," 29 June 2018 Now the sadness is that there’s almost a certain naivete in thinking that, in the face of all that Trump represents. . . — David Weininger, BostonGlobe.com, "Category-defying music, left-wing stance in composer’s provocative piece," 6 June 2018 But something about Michael's doomsday lament — rooted in a young man's naivete, but also in a scientifically accurate view of the planet — nonetheless takes root deep within Toller, feeding on his own despair. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "The bracing 'First Reformed,' starring a superb Ethan Hawke, resurrects Paul Schrader's career," 17 May 2018 The assault on Glenelg and the community at large goes beyond a senior prank and shouldn’t be explained away as youthful naivete. — baltimoresun.com, "A senseless act of hatred," 31 May 2018 According to the agency, the demise of Bully Hunters was a case of well-meaning naivete colliding with the idiosyncratic, often-aggressive world of online gaming. — John Keilman, chicagotribune.com, "Campaign to hunt down online video game bullies backfires, blasted as 'so idiotic' and 'insincere'," 20 Apr. 2018 That brings us to that other person suffering from a huge dose of naivete: Donald Trump, who has convinced millions not to trust the media. — Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press, "Riley: Are we blaming Facebook for our naivete and lack of vigilance?," 22 Mar. 2018

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

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Last Updated

21 Aug 2018

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Time Traveler for naivete

The first known use of naivete was in 1673

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