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

Schull, 46, who played Jody Sawyer, the naive newcomer to the School of American Ballet in the film, took fans' questions following the special screening on Sunday, April 6, ahead of the film's 25th anniversary this May. —Rachel Flynn, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025

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

And he’s made a few superhuman friends who like him but think of him as naive. —Eliana Dockterman, Time, 1 Apr. 2025