naively

variants or naïvely
Definition of naivelynext

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 naively Putting this season aside, the job of coaching one of Scotland’s big two could be naively regarded as a cakewalk. The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026 The barely disguised soullessness with which AI leaders operate, perhaps, has provided a window for entrepreneurs to peddle a more humane message, in good faith or not in good faith, naively or cynically. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 22 Jan. 2026 To believe otherwise is to divert one’s gaze, naively, hoping others will manage the problem, keeping it from your doorstep — in defiance of the medicine and simple math. Eric Snoey, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025 When the frame shifts up and over the reservoir’s edge, Copco 1 appears as a concrete colossus, standing sentry over the river naively burbling below. Anne Reeve, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 But owner Danny Meyer wants to remind you about its days as a scrappy ingénue, naïvely determined to show this gritty city a thing or two about democratic dining. Christine Muhlke, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025 Mills’ team works from what’s known about the physical Earth over deep time, and then lets the model naïvely produce the temperature estimates on its own. Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025 Many wealth management strategies naively assume that rate cuts automatically benefit all equities equally. Elie Nour, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025 Rising health care costs are never far from many of our minds — the millions of people soon to be kicked off Medicaid but also plenty of us who thought, naively, that the well-insured would never need to worry. Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naively
Adverb
  • Fleming yells, laughing but also sincerely horrified.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Dozens of Bay Area mayors, councilmembers and officials signed an open letter calling for Martinez to either sincerely work to repair his relationship with the Jewish community or resign.
    Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • What’s the pitch to talent, and how many are genuinely nervous about getting stuff wrong?
    Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The owners and players have a few key options to genuinely boost competitiveness.
    Paul Bledsoe, Baltimore Sun, 2 Mar. 2026
Adverb
  • Indeed, many technology executives broke with industry norms and openly backed Trump in 2024.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
  • These are articulate, intellectual characters who tend to speak openly about their emotions and even drift into philosophical ruminations.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Naively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/naively. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.

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