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

Their shared belief in the importance of cinema breaks through the screen, contagiously inflicting those watching, striking a hopeful tone to cherish and admire that also prevents the film from appearing earnest and naive. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025

Hoping to teach Arj a lesson about coming to terms with his own life, the well-meaning but naive Gabriel swaps Arj's life with that of Jeff's (Seth Rogen), a wealthy venture capitalist living large in a ritzy home high above the hills. —Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025

Their attempts at political discourse often veered toward the group speaking in vague, naïve universalisms. —Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Sep. 2025

At times on Saturday, Bremen were terribly naive, exhibiting all the fragility expected of a team built from inexperienced players. —Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025