as in naturalness
the quality or state of being simple and sincere
the small-town boy's guilelessness is endearing, but it may not serve him well in the ruthless big city
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Recent Examples of guilelessness
Still, Dunk believes in himself, like any good hero, and people are drawn to his guilelessness.
—
Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
But there’s a guilelessness to everything Bella does, a trust in the universe and an insatiable curiosity about humanity.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
But there’s a guilelessness to everything Bella does, a trust in the universe and an insatiable curiosity about humanity.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guilelessness
Noun
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As a national icon, the Natural Bridge served as a quiet, Emersonian rebuke to Europe’s militaristic triumphal arches, reinforcing the naturalness of American democracy.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Across 10,000 trials, the system delivered strong performance in both forehand and backhand strokes, surpassing previous methods in accuracy, consistency, and motion naturalness.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The presumption of innocence remains fully intact.—
Jordan Freiman,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
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The trick of claiming such devout innocence worked quite readily for the last several years.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
There's a certain simplicity to it.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
That kind of simplicity is nice.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
There was such calm, quiet sincerity on his part.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Darry Sragow, a veteran Democratic strategist who advised Checchi, said Steyer’s focus on such causes had the potential to be meaningful to voters who are often skeptical about the sincerity and motives of rich candidates.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Gilbert’s colloquial style, once a source of great pleasure, has tipped into new territory—an ingenuousness that blends guru and disciple, mother and child.—
Jia Tolentino,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Guilelessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guilelessness. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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