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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or naif
as in virgin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 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
-
Ravi asks, an astoundingly naive question for a show like 9-1-1.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
-
In the February 1984 issue: Latin America: A media stereotype Over time, Vargas Llosa realized that this kind of reflexive leftism was naive.—
Ilan Stavans,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The idea behind the scene was that Piper, in addition to proving her mother right with her disappointment about the monastery, had also taken it to heart when her brother Saxon mocked her for being a virgin in an earlier episode.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Deadline is hearing the script is about Delaney Pitts, a nerdy teenage virgin who has a secret online life as an erotic fan fiction author.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Freezing temperatures kill this weed, resulting in patches of brown throughout your green lawn in fall.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Don’t pass the bakery case without ordering a cinnamon roll or a bright green pistachio muffin.—
Staff Author,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Remmick wants to pull Sammie’s music into his homogeneous blob of bloodsuckers, and likely use it to attract more innocents into the vampire circle.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
What kind of people approve of a government that extra-judicially kidnaps innocents and renders them into the hands of a foreign gulag—and then hides behind that government when ordered by an American court to bring them back?—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The scandalous moment transformed the fledgling Real Housewives franchise from a novel experiment in reality programming to a ratings juggernaut.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Syria’s fledgling force has little of material value to deal with external threats from Israel or Iran.—
Dominique Soguel,
Christian Science Monitor,
7 Apr. 2025
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
-
By opening her hogan to visitors, Yazzie hopes to introduce people to the Navajo lifestyle, which traditionally involves herding sheep, weaving rugs, growing crops, and silversmithing.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Some hold the skulls of wild sheep, but one specific burial has the breastbone, a great bustard with cut marks.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The five 3-year-old colts who will break from the starting gate a little after 4:45 p.m. for the $500,000, Grade I race include Journalism, the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby, Citizen Bull, the 2-year-old champion, Barnes, a $3.2 million yearling purchase, and Baeza, a $1.2 million prospect.—
Kevin Modesti,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Standing inside the winner’s circle after piloting Tappan Street to victory in the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Saez sensed the real possibility that the colt could be his salvation – his redemption.—
Clark Spencer,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share