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
Yas deflects her concerns as naivete.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Costume designer Freddy Wittop gave Lee a special hat for Minnie Fay, one that symbolized the character’s endless curiosity and naiveté, with a feather in the shape of a giant question mark.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
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
There was a lot of naivete with the first album.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
Costume designer Freddy Wittop gave Lee a special hat for Minnie Fay, one that symbolized the character’s endless curiosity and naiveté, with a feather in the shape of a giant question mark.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
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
There was a lot of naivete with the first album.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïveté
Noun
-
During his sentencing hearing, Serafini addressed the court and maintained his innocence, according to MyNews4.—
Jessica Hill,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Sanheim didn’t exactly push Eyssimont into the crease and Sturm elected not to challenge, despite Eyssimont’s protestations of innocence.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
These forces—economic uncertainty, political division, and toxic algorithms—work in a vicious cycle to try and tell us that empathy is weakness… that kindness is gullibility… that sincerity is for suckers.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Liu’s answer was striking in its simplicity.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
-
One of the star dishes of Tex-Mex cuisine that shines for its simplicity but exceeds in flavor.—
Imelda García,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Most noticeably, his 3-point shooting accuracy has risen above 37% in Chicago, a crucial improvement to establish his credibility as a true backcourt threat.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
An effort to undermine the credibility of the chief executive officer of the University of Connecticut Health Center was timed to go public before the celebratory kickoff Wednesday of Waterbury Hospital’s renewal as part of an evolving new hospital system led by UConn Health.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Reverend Jackson's instincts understood the words of James Baldwin, who said that ignorance and power alive is the most ferocious enemy of justice.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Good luck living in your little bubble of ignorance, Nancy.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 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 9 Mar. 2026.
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