Synonyms of naive

naive

adjective

nä-ˈēv 

variants or naïve

1

as in innocent

lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment

a first-time buyer who was so naive that he believed the salesman's spiel and paid good money for the rusty and broken-down car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• innocent
• inexperienced
• simple
• unsophisticated
• immature
• ingenuous
• uncritical
• trustful
• primitive
• trusting
• simpleminded
• unworldly
• unsuspicious
• unsuspecting
• wide-eyed
• careless
• unknowing
• naïf
• unwary
• dewy
• childish
• naif
• green
• idealistic
• dewy-eyed
• aw-shucks
• childlike
• gullible
• callow
• believing
• unrealistic
• susceptible
• impractical
• credulous
• thoughtless
• gullable
• raw
• unguarded
• duped
• heedless
• gulled
• beguiled
• tricked

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sophisticated
• cynical
• experienced
• worldly
• knowing
• skeptical
• cosmopolitan
• critical
• suspicious
• incredulous
• careful
• cautious
• unconvinced
• wary
• doubting
• worldly-wise
• watchful
• realistic
• pragmatic
• leery
• guarded
• hardheaded
• sober
• down-to-earth
• suspecting
• leary
• pragmatical
• streetwise
• street-smart

2

as in genuine

free from any intent to deceive or impress others

the young girl gave honest and naive answers to the social worker's probing questions

Synonyms & Similar Words

• genuine
• honest
• true
• simple
• guileless
• real
• ingenuous
• sincere
• unaffected
• artless
• innocent
• straightforward
• unpretentious
• unpretending
• frank
• unsophisticated
• candid
• on the level
• inexperienced
• childlike
• impressionable
• straight
• open
• simpleminded
• unworldly
• wide-eyed
• natural
• spontaneous
• direct
• plain
• malleable
• gullible
• unstudied
• trustful
• dewy-eyed
• trusting
• unforced
• gee-whiz
• persuadable
• openhearted
• plainspoken
• unguarded
• susceptible
• single-minded
• unwary
• persuasible
• gullable
• free
• exploitable
• free-spoken

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assuming
• cynical
• false
• dishonest
• critical
• artificial
• pretentious
• skeptical
• suspicious
• affected
• wary
• insincere
• fake
• artful
• sophisticated
• phony
• mistrustful
• worldly
• phoney
• cosmopolitan
• cultured
• civilized
• deceptive
• hypocritical
• manipulative
• guileful
• deceitful
• polished
• refined
• shrewd
• devious
• cultivated
• dissembling
• cunning
• crooked
• subtle
• worldly-wise
• dissimulating
• wily
• sly
• tricky
• crafty
• sharp
• smooth
• shifty
• slick
• slippery
• scheming
• calculating
• underhanded
• foxy
• designing
• flattering
• unctuous
• arch
• two-faced
• forced
• double-dealing
• feigned
• strained
• canny
• knavish
• sycophantic
• mealymouthed

3

as in easy

readily taken advantage of

we get piles of junk mail because you are naive enough to keep entering these dumb contests

Synonyms & Similar Words

• easy
• trusting
• gullible
• innocent
• susceptible
• wide-eyed
• trustful
• gullable
• unwary
• exploitable
• simple
• credulous
• dewy-eyed
• unsophisticated
• uncritical
• guileless
• unsuspicious
• unsuspecting
• unworldly
• artless
• genuine
• malleable
• amiable
• pliant
• obliging
• pliable
• acquiescent
• overcredulous
• deceivable
• agreeable
• fictile
• yielding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cynical
• skeptical
• wary
• critical
• suspicious
• mistrustful
• sophisticated
• hardheaded
• shrewd
• clear-eyed
• clear-sighted
• streetwise
• street-smart

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of naive are artless, ingenuous, natural, and unsophisticated. While all these words mean "free from pretension or calculation," naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

When can artless be used instead of naive?

The meanings of artless and naive largely overlap; however, artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

When is it sensible to use ingenuous instead of naive?

Although the words ingenuous and naive have much in common, ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

When would natural be a good substitute for naive?

The synonyms natural and naive are sometimes interchangeable, but natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

In what contexts can unsophisticated take the place of naive?

While in some cases nearly identical to naive, unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of naive

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

Mint follows Shannon, the naïve daughter of the area’s dominant crime family, desperately searching for love in the shadow of her gangster father, Dylan (Sam Riley). —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025

But Robbie, ever the scrappy guy, already sees through the naïve guise and holds the FBI Task Force agent at gun point. —Grace Byron, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025