as in unaffected
free from any intent to deceive or impress others
she was an easygoing, guileless young woman who was comfortable just being herself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of guileless
Mickey 17 is as guileless as Candide, while his successor is more aggressive and shifty-eyed.
—
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
By contrast, Roman is sincere and guileless.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
And Norton’s flawless portrayal of a guileless kid who might be suffering from multiple personality disorder is worth the admission price alone.
—Tomris Laffly, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
In the book, Dave depicted Toph (short for Christopher) as a guileless kid, the personification of hope.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for guileless
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
By contrast, Roman is sincere and guileless.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
And Norton’s flawless portrayal of a guileless kid who might be suffering from multiple personality disorder is worth the admission price alone.
—Tomris Laffly, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
In the book, Dave depicted Toph (short for Christopher) as a guileless kid, the personification of hope.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for guileless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guileless
Adjective
-
Outside of health care and social assistance, a sector in which job growth seems to be unaffected by over-all trends, the downturn in hiring extended across large parts of the economy, with fewer than half of all private-sector industries adding jobs last month.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The 2026 visa cap has already been reached, meaning current sponsorships are unaffected.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Algorithmic Literacy requires genuine technical comprehension of AI capabilities, constraints, and ethical implications.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
But despite a certain staginess, and a tendency for the plot to suddenly stop to make way for the acting, Hedda is actually a genuine attempt to mine something new from the old text, a compelling fusion of Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and Stephen Fry’s Bright Young Things.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Someone's mispronunciation, for example, might have more do with innocent ignorance as opposed to a mistake worth correcting.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The new location will allow Wiggam Law to support clients outside of downtown Atlanta and directly in Gwinnett County, offering legal services including audit defense, tax litigation, penalty abatement, innocent spouse relief and IRS collections representation.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But all friends need to be honest with each other, to tell each other home truths when it’s needed, to confront those awkward moments without fear of the reaction.—
Steve Sedgwick,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
-
But when those larger firms start to adopt similar habits—open forums, early interventions, honest check-ins—things change fast.—
Stephan Lendi,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Their simple plan goes awry when one of their relatives wants a posh Korean wedding banquet in the heartfelt romantic comedy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The inspiration The Copleys wanted a low-water garden that would be simple to care for.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Early in the novel, Harold points out that authors are constantly looking for ways to bury their true beliefs in their text, rather than state them outright.—
Jeremy Gordon,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Like many Stephen King stories, the truest horrors are the ones that exist in reality.—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By enjoying the exciting spectacle, their fans have willingly become mindless followers—idol worshippers who are too misguided, and naive, to see they’re being led toward their own destruction.—
Yvonne Kim,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Speaking of burnout, that was the ultimate destination for the generation that came before, singed by their naive belief that adopting a neo-Stakhanovite approach to work and careers would pay off.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Guileless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guileless. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share