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
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
But the healing of our nations must begin in Gaza, Ramallah, and Jerusalem—with Palestinians and Israelis deciding that coexistence is not naivete but necessity.
—Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
The film’s stylized, childlike drawings not only reflect Giuseppe’s highly mutable nature, but also his innocence and naiveté as well.
—Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
There was a lot of naivete with the first album.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
In today’s digital world, jobs that require teens to disconnect from screens and interact face-to-face mean more time engaged in the real world around less time extricated in virtual naivete.
—Rachel Greszler, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, there’s an endearing naiveté to Hechinger’s performance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
The acrimony between the two camps is seen on social media and in everyday conversations, where calls for showing compassion to the Gazans are met with accusations of naivete, hypocrisy and shirking responsibilities to fellow Jews.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
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
But the healing of our nations must begin in Gaza, Ramallah, and Jerusalem—with Palestinians and Israelis deciding that coexistence is not naivete but necessity.
—Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
The film’s stylized, childlike drawings not only reflect Giuseppe’s highly mutable nature, but also his innocence and naiveté as well.
—Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
There was a lot of naivete with the first album.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
In today’s digital world, jobs that require teens to disconnect from screens and interact face-to-face mean more time engaged in the real world around less time extricated in virtual naivete.
—Rachel Greszler, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, there’s an endearing naiveté to Hechinger’s performance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
The acrimony between the two camps is seen on social media and in everyday conversations, where calls for showing compassion to the Gazans are met with accusations of naivete, hypocrisy and shirking responsibilities to fellow Jews.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïveté
Noun
-
In contrast to the George Floyd civil lawsuit against Minneapolis – a federal case that would have been decided by a jury – everything in a tort lawsuit against the federal government, from guilt or innocence to the amount of a potential reward, would be decided by a federal judge.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
-
But Bob maintained his innocence.—
Sarah Prior,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
That’s the gullibility these movies tap into — our desire, underneath it all, to believe the impossible.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The third, set in prehistoric times, is dazzling in its simplicity and dramatic rigor, and could’ve easily done without the others.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The low-to-the-ground shoe was overall a showcase of streamlined simplicity with its lack of embellishment and glove-like fit.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Our strategy is aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, ESG principles, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and global reporting frameworks, ensuring consistency and credibility.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The group’s efforts — along with CGI’s cost savings and the lack of credibility of the industry’s No Animals Were Harmed safety designation — have meant that, increasingly, most high-profile films and TV shows have gone the digital route.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Here in the United States, the writer and filmmaker Mike Judge has garnered praise over the course of his career for getting laughs out of broken systems and absurd ignorance in American culture.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In these special kinds of systems, even a minuscule amount of uncertainty in the measurement of the initial state of a system very quickly compounds into complete ignorance about its future behavior.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
29 Dec. 2025
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
-
The joy, the positivity, and the wonderful naivety of this group are something to cherish.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
However, Mats Alvesson and Katja Einola critique bright-side leadership in their 2019 Leadership Quarterly article, suggesting that bright-side leadership can drift into naivety or excessive positivity.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
21 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 1 Feb. 2026.
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