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
-
Ma’s description of enormous, glistening grocery stores could be explained as the musings of a person who longs for stability and plentitude, or of a naive character who thinks of America as a land of boundless riches.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
-
But these juvenile white sharks may be naive to orcas.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In 2022, the distillery selected two five-year-old virgin oak casks of whisky to send to Antarctica for further maturation.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
24 Oct. 2025
-
With this repurposed, recycled down and feathers from post-use bedding and outerwear, the EverPuff provides the same lofty warmth as virgin down—at 700 fill power—while giving existing materials a second life and reducing environmental impact.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Thousands of kids are in the transfer portal looking for greener grass, either in cash, playing time or a sexier stage.—
Mac Engel
January 9,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Another photo shows an elegant black piano in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows draped in linen curtains, with sage green and white armchairs and a cork coffee table with books and a vase of hydrangeas in view.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His only companion is his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), a young innocent who just wants to help Teddy, who serves as a Greek chorus/audience surrogate (and a representative of Lanthimos’ interest in childlike adults).—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Neither Sadat nor Begin were innocents or doves.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Jokic didn’t overtake Jamal Murray as Denver’s leading scorer until their seventh game of the season, after a 33-point performance Wednesday against a Miami Heat frontcourt that was woefully undersized and inexperienced the instant Bam Adebayo exited with a foot injury.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Henderson has struggled in that role as a rookie, and Jennings is inexperienced at the pro level.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
The indestructible Gill, still strolling the fairways of the magazine, was more than welcoming to a greenhorn.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
Startzer believes the time for his program’s breakout is next at the fledgling DPS high school located in northeast Denver.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
-
And here, at last, near some crabs locked in a coital embrace, was a fledgling oyster.—
Ben McGrath,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Yeah, there’s a certain…I’m not playing the ingenue anymore.—
Kyle McGovern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share