naïf 1 of 2

variants or naif

naïf

2 of 2

noun

variants or naif

Examples of naïf in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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 Obama is neither an out-of-his-depth naif nor a reactive realist. Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2012 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 Sonny, the political naif, suddenly has mastered the procedures of the Texas House and turns them to his advantage. Shawna Seed, Dallas News, 12 Sep. 2023 Who says Merrick Garland is a political naif? The Editorial Board, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022 With long hair and stubble, Fletcher is grungy and sweet, a seemingly free-spirited naif who also is, when the movie requires it, a font of Lone Star wisdom. Jim Kiest, San Antonio Express-News, 8 July 2021 Fraser was everywhere in the 1990s and early 2000s: a sweetly handsome, blue-eyed lummox whose starring roles established him as a perpetual naif. Ty Burr, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïf
Adjective
  • The club has maintained the naive belief that faith in the coach will deliver stability rather than the truth that modern football institutions establish lasting success by building a long-term strategy that is separate from the manager at the helm.
    Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Her sweet, somewhat naive and oddly accented character had no shortage of memorable lines.
    Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Gina Rodriguez stars as Jane Villanueva, a religious, 23-year-old virgin who somehow becomes pregnant.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 21 Oct. 2024
  • And in the Christian world, the most valuable color was reserved for the most elevated of virgins.
    Kanya Kanchana, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Wang’s use of green spills over to the primary bedroom, where a green suede headboard stands tall between two bedside tables.
    Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024
  • In the photo, Hall shows off a green pasture, fall foliage, a long wooden fence and an American flag hanging in front of him, as the sun rises in the distance.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • There is, too, international law surrounding the death of innocents.
    Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024
  • Some were likely innocents caught in the crossfire.
    Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • The fledgling nation was riddled with debt, the Constitution was weak and the judicial system was in its infancy.
    Major Garrett, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
  • November 1, 2024 All over the world there are schemes that help support and nurture the fledgling talents of fashion.
    Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The author came to Canada from England in 1923 as a 23-year-old greenhorn.
    Anton Money, Outdoor Life, 15 Aug. 2024
  • Hence the herring, every greenhorn’s rite of passage on the Wizard.
    Ashley Boucher, EW.com, 11 June 2024
Noun
  • Pearson has seen to it that the winery is one of the leaders in Napa Valley regarding regenerative agriculture; sheep graze in their estate vineyards, providing benefits such as natural fertilizer as well as eating weeds in the vineyards that reduce the need for chemical or natural weeding.
    Tom Hyland, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Galerie Mitterand, who was awarded this year’s ‘Best Historical Design Object,’ presented an installation of a breakfast room by Claude Lalanne, which showcased a seating area on a rug clad in his signature sheep motif.
    Alia Akkam, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • The painstaking Pletcher was up to that task, putting the colt into a nearly 90-day layoff/back-to-school course of works, no racing, largely at Saratoga.
    Guy Martin, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
  • The colt isn’t getting the respect the Santa Anita Derby winner normally gets and is listed at 20-1 on the morning line.
    John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near naïf

Cite this Entry

“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

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