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
On a humid evening in May, Patricia Lockwood, who writes with the impish verve and provocative guilelessness of a peeing cupid, was scanning the menu at a Mexican restaurant near her home, in Savannah, Georgia.
—
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guilelessness
Noun
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Smile Hair Clinic aims to achieve the highest density by maintaining naturalness.—
Wyles Daniel,
jsonline.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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The naturalness bias is deeply ingrained in Kennedy’s MAHA campaign, which aims to improve public health by returning to a more natural lifestyle.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Watching your character confront Giuliano and attempt to profess her innocence once again was intense.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Comey declared his innocence in a social media post and welcomed a trial.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The pieces serve as grounding tools, a nod to simplicity in design but layered with weighty symbolism.—
Essence,
Essence,
1 Oct. 2025
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With its combination of simplicity, stability, and cost-efficiency, the kirigami parachute may soon find its place in both relief missions and advanced aerospace tests.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The earnestness and sincerity that characterized so much music from the late ’90s were overtaken by the sneering rage of nu metal.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
30 Sep. 2025
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And yet, Lightfoot’s stubborn purity is surely why listeners recognize his sincerity in memorializing such a tragic event.—
John U. Bacon,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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 6 Oct. 2025.
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