naivety

noun

na·​ive·​ty nä-ˈē-və-tē 

-ˈēv-tē, 

nī-

variants or less commonly naïvety

plural naiveties

chiefly British

: naïveté

If he compromised himself, then it was because of his political ignorance and naivety.

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

Synonyms of naivety

• innocence
• naturalness
• simplicity
• naïveté
• sincerity
• ignorance

Examples of naivety in a Sentence

the contention that the royal family took advantage of the young Diana's naivety

Recent Examples on the Web

But Iraq’s inability to keep the margin of defeat narrow when that very well could be the tiebreaker for one of the top eight third-place spots showed a bit of naivety that could prove very damaging. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Willmett and Harris are clearly uninterested in euphemisms, so there’s an exaggerated naivety to their lyrics. —Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 8 June 2026

Twenty years ago, betting on New York as a serious technology hub felt contrarian to the point of naivety. —Patrick Chun, Fortune, 26 May 2026

Elsewhere on that flank, Pedro Lima and Rodrigo Gomes are talented players who, even allowing for the naivety of youth that sometimes undermines their efforts, Wolves are likely to want to keep for next season in the Championship. —Steve Madeley, New York Times, 12 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1708, in the meaning defined above