naïf
Americannoun
adjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of naïf
First recorded in 1575–1600 ; from Middle French; masculine of naïve ( def. )
Explanation
A naif is a person with very little experience. When you're just starting a new job, you often feel like a naif. You might have noticed how similar the noun naif is to the adjective naive. They share a common origin, the French word naïf, which means both "natural, unspoiled, or innocent" and also "foolish." When you describe someone using the adjective form of naif — which can be used interchangeably with naive — you are usually implying that the person is a little childlike or immature.
Vocabulary lists containing naif
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Naive
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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.
It’s a classic hero’s journey as the young naïf leaves home and learns the harsh truth about the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024
One of the greatest tragedies of the Messenger is a hypothetical left unfulfilled: What could someone who wasn’t a complete naïf have done with a $50 million investment in a media company?
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2024
When the former heel of “The View” broached the topic near the top of her new podcast’s third episode the naïf in me wondered if he’d answered those questions.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2023
Farrell is the wounded, almost childlike naïf who doesn’t appreciate his surroundings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
He gives, for example, an anecdote of a young woman, who, being jealous of another conversion, resolved to bring about her own by the rather naïf expedient of reading the Bible straight through.
From Hours in a Library, Volume I. (of III.) by Sir Leslie Stephen
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.
