variants
or naif
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
the senator, newly elected and still naïf, will learn soon enough how Washington really works
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or naif
as in virgin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of naïf
Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Colorful naif pictures by Katie Hickey and text arranged in substantial chunks make this perfect for browsing by young readers with an interest in engineering or architecture.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022
Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Both stand in stark contrast to the naif played by Daniela Komędera, who enjoys any prompts for activities and appears glad to be relieved of any opportunity to have to think for herself.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
David himself is a generic naif whose sole distinguishing trait is a passion for music, curiously sung in unsubtitled Hebrew while the spoken dialogue is in English.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Farrow, presenting in the early scenes as an utter naif, discovers the pleasures of running cons; LuPone, who shows up a hellion, develops a sensitivity and nurturing spirit to the lost soul who’s provided her character a home.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Reasonable readers will arrive at varied opinions about the taste of all this—the facts are the facts, and the narrative pulses with empathy, but the tone at times resembles cosmic horror, as if Ehrenfest were a Lovecraftian naif driven mad after glimpsing an Elder God.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Most illustrators play up the coziness of the tale, what with children all snug in their beds dreaming of sugarplums and suchlike, but the friendly lines and marzipan colors of Ms. Beech’s naif illustrations take coziness to a new level.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Colorful naif pictures by Katie Hickey and text arranged in substantial chunks make this perfect for browsing by young readers with an interest in engineering or architecture.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022
Noun
David himself is a generic naif whose sole distinguishing trait is a passion for music, curiously sung in unsubtitled Hebrew while the spoken dialogue is in English.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Both stand in stark contrast to the naif played by Daniela Komędera, who enjoys any prompts for activities and appears glad to be relieved of any opportunity to have to think for herself.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
David himself is a generic naif whose sole distinguishing trait is a passion for music, curiously sung in unsubtitled Hebrew while the spoken dialogue is in English.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Farrow, presenting in the early scenes as an utter naif, discovers the pleasures of running cons; LuPone, who shows up a hellion, develops a sensitivity and nurturing spirit to the lost soul who’s provided her character a home.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Reasonable readers will arrive at varied opinions about the taste of all this—the facts are the facts, and the narrative pulses with empathy, but the tone at times resembles cosmic horror, as if Ehrenfest were a Lovecraftian naif driven mad after glimpsing an Elder God.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïf
Adjective
-
Don’t be naive and offer $500 for a premium domain name.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
But that naive, first-generation Polish-American girl soon became a force to be reckoned with.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
Carell stars as a grown man who is, indeed, still a virgin and is desperate to find someone not only to be physically intimate with, but also to forge a romantic and emotional connection with.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2025
-
The consoling notion of divine impregnation was commonplace in the Hellenistic world, with countless tales of gods foisting demigods on virgins.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In March 2024, for the first time, scientists observed a visible green aurora on Mars.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
While this slaw might have a simple ingredient list–green cabbage, hot sauce, ketchup, mustard–it is packed with flavor.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
If its sympathies can’t help but tilt a little toward the colonized, the film still plays like a nightmare in which every escalation kills more innocents and every victory comes at a horrible cost.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
22 Nov. 2024
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After decades of lycanthropy, Sir John is no longer a reluctant killer and has stopped chaining himself up during the full moon, now gleefully slaughtering innocents without a care in the world.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
In addition to his track record with fledgling teams, Gallant is from Verbeek’s era and has a similar old-school acumen.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
5 May 2025
-
Besides the dealerships, Agresti has a fledgling bourbon company in Kentucky (Saban and Cannon are partners) and created a medical supplies business, Dream Medical Group, that sold nine figures worth of PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic.—
Chase Peterson-Withorn,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The indestructible Gill, still strolling the fairways of the magazine, was more than welcoming to a greenhorn.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
-
The author came to Canada from England in 1923 as a 23-year-old greenhorn.—
Anton Money,
Outdoor Life,
15 Aug. 2024
Noun
-
An opening montage includes a bloodied sheep ostensibly mauled by an ochi.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
-
Beyond the sheep and horse, the day’s finds include part of a wolverine and an American cheetah petrosal bone.—
Michael Ray Taylor,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Trainer Michael McCarthy was not available to talk to reporters Sunday but praised his colt’s effort to rally into the lead briefly before Sovereignty, the 7-1 third choice, overtook him in the stretch and won by 1 1/2 lengths.—
Gary B. Graves,
Baltimore Sun,
4 May 2025
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The colt will break from the No. 8 post, which has seen nine winners at Churchill Downs.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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