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

• naiveness
  noun
• unnaive
  adjective
• naively
  adverb

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

See Examples For:

naive

Hopefully, I don’t sound as naive as those early internet optimists, who thought new shifts would usher in a golden age of humanity.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Clara says she was "so naive and vulnerable" at that age and had no sense of how "normal" this kind of behaviour was in an adult relationship.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Pretending we may never need care is naive at best and can bankrupt your entire family if you don’t have a plan,” wrote Mim Senft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Nolan reinvents him as a naive young soldier left outside the horse to sell Odysseus’ deception.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Before, I was naive enough to believe it was real.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

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