naive

American  

[nah-eev] / nɑˈiv /

Or naïve

adjective

1. having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous.

   She's so naive she believes everything she reads.

   He has a very naive attitude toward politics.

2. having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.

   Synonyms:

   plain, open, candid, guileless, artless, unaffected, simple

   Antonyms:

   artful, sophisticated

3. having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique.

   valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.

4. not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.

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naive British  

/ naɪˈiːv /

adjective

1. 1. having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      only the naive believed him

2. artless or unsophisticated

3. lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticism

   a naive argument

4. another word for primitive

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noun

1. rare a person who is naive, esp in artistic style See primitive

Usage

This word is spelled with a dieresis over the i (ï) in French, indicating that it is a separate vowel sound. Many people retain this spelling when writing in English.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unnaive
  adjective
• naively
  adverb
• naiveness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of naive

First recorded in 1645–55; from French, feminine of naïf, Old French naif “natural, instinctive,” from Latin nātīvus native

Explanation

No one likes being called naive, since it means you lack sophistication or street smarts. A person who is too trusting can be criticized for being overly naive: "You're so naive, you think that map you bought online will really lead you to buried treasure!" Naive shares the same root as native, and originally meant "natural" or "not artificial." It can still be used in a more positive meaning when describing a charming lack of artificiality, as in "the naive style of folk art made by an untrained painter."

Example Sentences

"We're not naive when we're invited somewhere," she said.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

The impulse to shop your values isn’t naive.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

It would be naive to think sounds and personalities aren't still carefully curated by talented teams.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

“The approach is, let’s not be naive and pretend it’s not happening,” Martin told USA Today.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

They weren’t a group of naive schoolgirls—they were a regiment of well-trained aviators, and some of them had already flown in combat under enemy fire.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• ignorant
• innocent
• simple
• sincere
• unsophisticated
• wide-eyed