naïveté

noun

nä-ˌēv-ˈtā How to pronounce naïveté (audio)
variants also naivete or naiveté
Definition of naïveténext
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

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 naïveté God protect me from my own lack of understanding and naivete. — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 May 2026 On their first two trips to the property, the enormity of the task at hand—and their utter naiveté in taking it on—sank in. — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 22 May 2026 But that optimism now veers into naivete. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026 Miho Sakoda’s Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San) managed a deft balance of girlish naiveté, true love and bitter betrayal with a soprano of apparently limitless expressivity. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 11 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for naïveté
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïveté
  1. innocence
  2. gullibility
  3. simplicity
  4. credibility
  5. ignorance
  6. credulity
  7. naivety
  8. ingenuousness
Noun
  • The brothers have repeatedly pleaded their innocence in the litany of charges against them.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2026
  • The jury’s guilt-innocence verdict appears to be an assessment that Royal intentionally or knowingly caused Watkins’ death, but not during a robbery.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 July 2026
Definition of innocence
Noun
  • With no way to secure this crucial boundary, Microsoft and its peers are left to erect complicated and ad hoc guardrails designed to rein in the consequences of this incurable gullibility.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 16 June 2026
  • Their bond — both are outsiders who suffered abuse as children — is one of the few emotional soft spots in the otherwise fast-moving series about America’s rotten power structure, manipulative media and the gullibility of the public.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of gullibility
Noun
  • Unlike trends that involve shoving one pastry into another, salt bread’s virality is rooted in simplicity, capturing attention with little other than butter and a bit of salt.
    — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 19 July 2026
  • Platformization and simplicity drive cybersecurity buyers, and organizations with an appetite for new companies are often looking to complete their platform capabilities.
    — Rohit Dhamankar, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • The diminishment of American credibility, another cost, will probably be with us for decades to come.
    — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • The manager is expected to listen, build trust, learn the team’s work by asking questions, and establish credibility.
    — Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of credibility
Noun
  • For Hevalow, that perspective wasn’t born out of ignorance of the dangers — it was reinforced by surviving them.
    — Latif Love July 9, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
  • What’s interesting in this context is the ignorance portrayed by financial teams with respect to building core strategies.
    — Dr. Saheer Nelliparamban, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of ignorance
Noun
  • Because these stories have to dramatize a search for normalcy, its leads tend to be awkward in ways that strain credulity.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • Cape Fear strains credulity a little by making Natalie too easy a mark.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Definition of credulity
Noun
  • But Karic said naivety in decision-making, due to age or inexperience, can sometimes play a role with a younger club.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
  • But Iraq’s inability to keep the margin of defeat narrow when that very well could be the tiebreaker for one of the top eight third-place spots showed a bit of naivety that could prove very damaging.
    — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Definition of naivety
Noun
  • What was once a poignant effort to extend a state of ingenuousness is now tainted from the start.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Definition of ingenuousness

Browse Nearby Words

naiveness
naïveté
naivety
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Cite this Entry

“Naïveté.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFvet%C3%A9. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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