Synonym Chooser

How is the word unsophisticated different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of unsophisticated are artless, ingenuous, naive, and natural. While all these words mean "free from pretension or calculation," unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

Where would artless be a reasonable alternative to unsophisticated?

While in some cases nearly identical to unsophisticated, artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

When would ingenuous be a good substitute for unsophisticated?

The meanings of ingenuous and unsophisticated largely overlap; however, ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

When is naive a more appropriate choice than unsophisticated?

The words naive and unsophisticated can be used in similar contexts, but naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

When might natural be a better fit than unsophisticated?

While the synonyms natural and unsophisticated are close in meaning, natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

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 unsophisticated Their lives are disrupted when a boat arrives carrying the wide-eyed innocent Antipholus of Syracuse and his eager but unsophisticated servant, Dromio of Syracuse. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025 Gale was deemed old-fashioned and her focus on small-town Midwestern life was thought to be unsophisticated. Deborah Williams july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025 Luckily for Marian, much of Bertha’s attention is stolen by the unexpected arrival of her unsophisticated sister; Bertha’s too busy making snide comments and tricking her into wearing nicer gowns to even bother with Marian. Andy Swift, TVLine, 13 July 2025 Hokey, unsophisticated, and overlong, Superman III does not meet the bar set by the prior Reeve films, offering only strictly modest superpowered entertainment. Rory Doherty, Vulture, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for unsophisticated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsophisticated
Adjective
  • The Guerida line nodding to private estate La Querida and its white façades, emerald green lawns and ocean views offered a more naïve take on the colored theme by mean of hearts and floral motifs juxtaposed in a ring, bracelet and pendant earrings.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Even when their views are naive or ill-considered, protesters are among the minority of people willing to take risks and devote time and energy to the pursuit of a better world.
    Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Strufe adds that while intelligence agencies or cybercriminals have simpler ways to monitor people – such as accessing CCTV cameras or video doorbells – the widespread presence of wireless networks could eventually form a near-comprehensive surveillance infrastructure.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The simplest way to find influential people in a network is called degree centrality—just count the number of connections for each person.
    Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Legendary Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor, Kidnapped) directed and co-wrote the six-episode series, which tells the story of the downfall and imprisonment of popular TV host Enzo Tortora, an innocent man.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Ryan Clark, Pat McAfee and Scott Van Pelt gave strong reactions to the evidence that attempted to prove Kyren Lacy innocent of allegedly causing a fatal wreck last year.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The open North Rim camping at Fire Point and Swamp Ridge, is primitive and requires a backcountry permit.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The Chinese navy already makes port calls in Myanmar, but these are brief stays in facilities too primitive to provide naval advantage.
    Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Injuries have swept through the league, and inexperienced or ill-fitting players have been forced into service as special-teams blockers.
    J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Scaloni, whose team finished in first place in South American World Cup qualifying, was using Friday’s match, and the Tuesday match against Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium, to integrate some of the younger and inexperienced players on the roster.
    Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Commenting on Taiwan’s possible nuclear options, Jusen Asuka, a professor at Tohoku University and chair of the session in the conference, cautioned that SMRs remain immature and costly, and investing heavily in them could slow renewable energy development.
    Yu-Tzu Chiu, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In some cases, these are labelled as muscular injuries but Monasterio warns players at these ages are still skeletally immature in these regions.
    Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Unsophisticated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsophisticated. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on unsophisticated

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