variants
or naif
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
the senator, newly elected and still naïf, will learn soon enough how Washington really works
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or naif
as in virgin
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 naïf
Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 July 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Most illustrators play up the coziness of the tale, what with children all snug in their beds dreaming of sugarplums and suchlike, but the friendly lines and marzipan colors of Ms. Beech’s naif illustrations take coziness to a new level.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Noun
Glusman is perfectly fine, but the writing leaves this figure too much of a naif to seem threatening or to be credible when Elliot somehow circumvents Sophie’s protective barriers.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 July 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïf
Adjective
-
The naive notion that America protects its own has remained largely intact, until the current administration declared that anyone who’s not with them is against them.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
So like Dorthy Gale, Gail is a naive young girl from Kansas.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Opt for extra virgin avocado oil whenever possible.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The maturation protocol reflects a cask combination of American virgin oak, ex-bourbon, Spanish Oloroso, PX, and Portuguese red wine casks, designed to add layered, nuanced complexity to a whisky peated at 54 PPM.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For the previous ten seconds, a huge green piece of a caterpillar roll had required the curator’s entire attention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Outside Schiaparelli, the actor’s black leather overcoat is having a bit of a fashion tussle with the green-y lenses of his eyeglasses, but Cassel is a tough dude who can carry that.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In a key scene, the innocents jump back and forth between dinner parties playing out at the same time despite taking place on successive nights.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The J6ers were not insurrectionists, traitors, and miscreants but patriots, heroes, and innocents.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Older, more experienced players — like Indiana’s fleet of 24-year olds — are usually better than younger, inexperienced ones, especially in this age of the transfer portal.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Tech Hamiltonians and Silicon Valley enthusiasts are often inexperienced in the ways of government and unaccustomed to the compromise and diplomacy that successful policy implementation often requires.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Finally, and very importantly for the greenhorns among us: What’s your tip for getting rid of soreness after a ride?—
Samantha Dunn,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Flecks of mica and pyrite and who knows what, but only fools and greenhorns mistake it for gold.—
John Archibald,
Southern Living,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
Five years ago, Tyler Ballgame was living at home in Rhode Island, singing cover songs and fronting a fledgling local indie rock band.—
Millan Verma,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Perhaps not so surprising was that Dr Branston and collaborators’ discovered that a larger human population density reduced fledging success, and that higher ambient temperatures were negatively related to first egg laying date, clutch size and the number of fledglings produced.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
So, for the next few months, award show contenders, winners, and Hollywood ingenues will have the spotlight on them.—
Katherine Singh,
Refinery29,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Seen on the likes of Pamela Anderson, Ariana Grande, and most recently, Vera Wang, the micro bang was first popularized in the 1950s by film ingenues like Audrey Hepburn.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
