variants
also naivete
or naiveté
1
as in innocence
the quality or state of being simple and sincere
her naïveté led her to leave her new car unlocked while she shopped at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gullibility
readiness to believe the claims of others without sufficient evidence
though he was streetwise, the investigative reporter regularly assumed an air of naïveté when he was interviewing confidence men, charlatans, counterfeiters, and other assorted swindlers of the general public
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of naïveté
Students brought the enthusiasm, but their naivete showed in planning and preparation.
—
Cate Charron, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
Her hollow eyes and unflinching face lend Ju-Ju a gut-wrenching passivity and naivete.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Instead, Lifton chalked up the invocation of critical materials in Venezuela to political naivete.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 17 Jan. 2026
Tutty is an absolute star in the role, displaying boisterous enthusiasm as well as a tender naivete that hints at the inevitable act two disappointment to come.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Nov. 2025
There is power in unspoken knowledge, Schilinski suggests, and the performance of innocence and naiveté, for a young girl, can be an instrument of subversion.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
But the healing of our nations must begin in Gaza, Ramallah, and Jerusalem—with Palestinians and Israelis deciding that coexistence is not naivete but necessity.
—Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
There was a lot of naivete with the first album.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
In today’s digital world, jobs that require teens to disconnect from screens and interact face-to-face mean more time engaged in the real world around less time extricated in virtual naivete.
—Rachel Greszler, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Cate Charron, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
Her hollow eyes and unflinching face lend Ju-Ju a gut-wrenching passivity and naivete.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Instead, Lifton chalked up the invocation of critical materials in Venezuela to political naivete.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 17 Jan. 2026
Tutty is an absolute star in the role, displaying boisterous enthusiasm as well as a tender naivete that hints at the inevitable act two disappointment to come.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Nov. 2025
There is power in unspoken knowledge, Schilinski suggests, and the performance of innocence and naiveté, for a young girl, can be an instrument of subversion.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
But the healing of our nations must begin in Gaza, Ramallah, and Jerusalem—with Palestinians and Israelis deciding that coexistence is not naivete but necessity.
—Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
There was a lot of naivete with the first album.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
In today’s digital world, jobs that require teens to disconnect from screens and interact face-to-face mean more time engaged in the real world around less time extricated in virtual naivete.
—Rachel Greszler, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïveté
Noun
-
After decades of maintaining his innocence, Vedam’s conviction was thrown out by a judge in August after it was revealed that prosecutors had withheld potentially critical ballistics evidence during his two trials.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department emphasized the innocence of the siblings and their spouses in a statement released Monday, pleading with the media and public to leave the beleaguered family alone.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Enlightenment faith in reason, science, and free speech, already weakened by the First World War, had been devastated by an unprecedented bureaucracy of mass death, sustained by technology, systematic deceit, widespread gullibility, and eager acquiescence.—
Victor J. Blue,
Harpers Magazine,
23 Nov. 2025
-
That’s the gullibility these movies tap into — our desire, underneath it all, to believe the impossible.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
How Tide evo Works Tide evo was clearly developed with simplicity top of mind.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Blending simplicity and durability, additional elements include cobranded details and dual‑lace options, allowing for personalization.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
By including co-chairs from both parties and requiring a bipartisan majority for approval, a commission could lend more credibility to essential reforms, the report argued.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
As the Cubs welcomed players from Nippon Professional Baseball — and managed relationships with their families, agents and support staff — Masamoto’s background provided some credibility and reassurance.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This shocking ignorance and insensitivity by Ocasio-Cortez should rule her out of any potential presidential bid or other high office.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
There are still many in this country who value truth, who believe that history should be preserved and not erased, who understand that constitutional rights should not be swept away to suit the whims of a megalomaniac, and who refuse to wallow in ignorance and hate.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The TikTok tradeoff is dynamic scanning, selecting, and constructing in return for patience, credulity, and willingness to follow direction.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Bollen’s own professional background is in market research, and, being well versed in the ways in which popular credulity is leveraged, she is also equipped to cast skepticism upon research findings whose standards fall short.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Panarin embraced it with a combination of zeal and naivety that endeared him to the Blueshirts faithful.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The joy, the positivity, and the wonderful naivety of this group are something to cherish.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
“Naïveté.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFvet%C3%A9. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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