guilelessness

[gahyl-lis-nis]

noun

1. the quality of being sincere, straightforward, artless, etc..

   He was known for a certain guilelessness—a genuine and spontaneous character rather than a shrewdly calculating one.

2. lack of awareness of the world and worldly things; innocence or naiveté.

   In the past my guilelessness has put me at a disadvantage and made me vulnerable to the deception of others.

Word History and Origins

Origin of guilelessness¹

First recorded in 1720–30; guileless ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

That cocktail of competitiveness and guilelessness makes Alcaraz hard to dislike.

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Everybody said my dad had Alzheimer’s, but looking back, he probably had Lewy, the way his hallucinations worked, the guilelessness that came over him, and also the way that his rage manifested; how angry it made him to be that helpless.

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That guilelessness worked in her favour.

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He conveys an inherent sweetness, a sense of guilelessness and innocence that serves his portrayal as the protective oldest brother, and provides a contrast to his bulked-up physique.

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There is a rather astonishing guilelessness to his manner.

Read more on Slate

Related Words

• candor 
• earnestness 
• frankness 
• genuineness 
• goodwill 
• impartiality 
• probity 
• reliability 
• seriousness 
• trustworthiness 
• truth 
• truthfulness www.thesaurus.com
• veracity