variants also naivete or naiveté
1
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 Is there intimidation, naivete, fear of being alone? Ew Staff, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025 On the contrary, the narrative voice mixes naivete and disbelief. Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025 One character starts with hope and naivete, and the other with the wisdom that comes from tough, life-altering experiences. Nick Jonas, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025 Thus begins an addictive of melding personal infatuation with messy dynamics, as spirits of domination and naivete co-mingle. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025 There’s a lot of naivete, certainly, in certain forms of popular music. Katherine Turman, SPIN, 3 Feb. 2025 Our heroes’ naivete is catching, apparently. Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2025 The fund’s appreciation of over 600% YTD raises concerns about flawed perceptions of SpaceX ownership and naivete regarding the premium to NAV. Joel Shulman, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024 Merkel also displays naivete over global warming. Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 12 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïveté
Noun
  • The beginning of the finale reveals that the explosion originated in the laundry room, where Graham was trying to declare his innocence to Donnie and Crystal (Destiny Hernandez).
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 May 2025
  • After years of claiming innocence, Rose admitted to gambling in 2004.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • The simplicity of getting your feet wet with these tools means that most of your time will be spent dealing with a company's security and compliance teams.
    Jeff Catlin, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • So perhaps the clearest difference between the final months of O’Neil and the early months of Pereira has been simplicity.
    Steve Madeley, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • These stats show that there’s a growing credibility crisis for AI and organizations, more than ever before, must build and deploy AI tools in ways that preserve trust and bolster their credibility, not erode it.
    Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
  • The congresswoman also blasted the poll’s credibility.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • Trump’s disdain for classic neoliberal U.S. soft power — and for the values and institutions that uphold it — is likely to hurt American interests in just the same way his tariff regime and utter ignorance of real-world trade theory do.
    Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 7 May 2025
  • The pathos here thus depends largely on the reader’s total ignorance of Vietnamese.
    Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 6 May 2025
Noun
  • The plot beats that follow Dante’s death strain credulity past its breaking point, and the fun quickly wears thin.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 May 2025
  • That the leader of a notoriously cruel occupying power would have shown such compassion for a militant rebel strains credulity and defies the historical record.
    Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Danish government dismissed Trump’s idea and critics mocked his supposed naivety.
    Ryan P. Burke, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2025
  • My naivety was expunged in my first few weeks on the job post-graduation.
    Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, The Dial, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Despite current challenges in the Hong Kong industry, Tsui expresses cautious optimism about overcoming present difficulties, particularly regarding market constraints and regional audience discrepancies.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 May 2025
  • Cease and manager Mike Shildt said the team’s athletic training staff expressed optimism about Cease’s prognosis.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025

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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 22 May. 2025.

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