faux-naïf
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of faux-naïf
From French, dating back to 1940–45; see origin at faux, naive
Explanation
Use the adjective faux-naif to describe behavior that pretends to be innocent or childlike. Your sister gets away with everything, because her faux-naif act (chin trembling and eyes filling with tears) always works on your parents. When someone is faux-naif, they're putting on a shrewd charade, pretending to be innocent or simple — actually, they know exactly what they're doing. A faux-naif bully might stick out a leg, tripping your friend, then say, "Gee whiz, sorry about that, I didn't know my leg was in your way!" In French, faux-naïf means "false naive" — naive has a Latin root meaning "natural."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She paints a thick inky black-on-white, in a faux-naïf pastiche of East and West.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021
Stettheimer is beloved for her ultrafeminine faux-naïf style, expressed in richly detailed paintings that often featured her circle of friends, including the artist Marcel Duchamp, the writer Carl Van Vechten, and the sculptor Elie Nadelman.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2021
Her faux-naïf style and lumpy private iconography are the very opposite of suave.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2019
Andrea Heimer’s acrylic/pencil works on wood panel push a similar faux-naïf sensibility in a different thematic direction, with scenes of Sweet 16 parties and other innocent activities taking a chaotic or surreal turn.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2013
Unusual, affecting, narrated in a deceptive faux-naïf style, this book won Williams the National Book Tokens Not Yet Published prize.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 27, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
