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
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
Bailey has a wide-eyed clueless cuteness that lends to her character’s well-meaning naiveté — even her missteps have a way of working out.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The album thrives on the same balance of adolescent naivete and angst that animates foundational cloud rap releases like Lean’s Unknown Death 2002 and Lil B’s 6 Kiss.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
In an animal print and with generous straps across the instep, the result feels much more like grown-up sophistication than any naivete.
—Alex Sales, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2026
Her debut, Leaving Atlanta, narrates the Atlanta child murders committed between 1979 and 1981—when Jones herself was growing up there—through the eyes of child protagonists whose mix of knowing and naivete would be at home in the work of Henry James.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 13 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
Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 11 Apr. 2026
Bailey has a wide-eyed clueless cuteness that lends to her character’s well-meaning naiveté — even her missteps have a way of working out.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The album thrives on the same balance of adolescent naivete and angst that animates foundational cloud rap releases like Lean’s Unknown Death 2002 and Lil B’s 6 Kiss.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
In an animal print and with generous straps across the instep, the result feels much more like grown-up sophistication than any naivete.
—Alex Sales, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2026
Her debut, Leaving Atlanta, narrates the Atlanta child murders committed between 1979 and 1981—when Jones herself was growing up there—through the eyes of child protagonists whose mix of knowing and naivete would be at home in the work of Henry James.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 13 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïveté
Noun
-
His lawyers said Weinstein still maintains his innocence.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Baer appeared perplexed by this coy pretense of innocence.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 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
-
Bieber hit the hard reset on Coachella maximalism The entire performance dealt in assured simplicity from the 32-year-old.—
Reanna Cruz,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
-
In reimagining the 1950s-style entry, Misso opted for simplicity, ditching traditional trim around the white oak door in favor of a brick surround painted Benjamin Moore’s White Dove.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Your 12th House of Silence hosts ambitious Mars, who’s cheering on Pluto in your 10th House of Audiences, turning private prep into public credibility without draining you.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
16 Apr. 2026
-
To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While some of the women who came here willingly embraced ISIS ideology and passed it on to their children, many others say they were trafficked or lured to the region through ignorance or under false pretenses.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Hence the social contract on which proto-citizens situated behind the veil of ignorance would agree, arranges social and economic inequalities in such a manner as to make the worst off as well off as possible; economic policies would benefit the well-being of the least advantaged.—
George G. Szpiro,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The hope of one day inheriting Cal’s construction empire was part of what motivated Nate to act so … violently in high school, but without the context of how that takeover happened, his success strains credulity.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But the idea that athletic departments and their associated fundraising arms should be classified as tax-exempt nonprofits promoting education and amateur sports strains credulity.—
Andrew Urbaczewski,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Whatever your opinion, Theroux has an impressive back catalogue of documentaries worth watching, each one tackling a thorny topic with his signature faux naivety and awkward charm.—
Irenie Forshaw,
TheWeek,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Stratton called for an immediate increase to $25 an hour — a position her opponents, who supported a gradual increase to $17 per hour, said reflected naivety and a lack of Washington experience.—
Dan Petrella,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 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 18 Apr. 2026.
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