naive
or na·ïve
[nah-eev]
- having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
- 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.
- having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique: valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
- not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.
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Origin of naive
Synonyms
See more synonyms for naive on Thesaurus.com1. simple, unaffected, unsuspecting, artless, guileless, candid, open, plain.
Antonyms
1. sophisticated, artful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for naive
Contemporary Examples
I was naive enough to assume that he would, at most, rob me.
Artists now consider the Ideal Palace a piece of “naive” or “outsider” art.
She tackles weighty subjects with a naive sensibility and faux-innocence, but skillfully avoids dumbing them down.
I was definitely naive, I think the main similarity between me and Hal is that we were naive.
Maybe you can call it naive but that's the way Shae simply is.
Game of Thrones’ Sibel Kekilli Discusses Shae’s Treachery at the Trial of Tyrion LannisterMarlow Stern
May 13, 2014
Historical Examples
She raised her blue eyes toward the ceiling in a naive rapture.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
A fellow of some innocence in his naive duplicity, but none the less dangerous.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
At this naive statement, the sheepman could not restrain a smile.
Hidden WaterDane Coolidge
Not that I should advise you to imitate this naive way out of a difficulty.
Wood-CarvingGeorge Jack
Some of the forms it assumes are simple and naive, like feudal rights.
Sophisms of the ProtectionistsFrederic Bastiat
naive
nave naf
- having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous
- (as collective noun; preceded by the)only the naive believed him
- artless or unsophisticated
- lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticisma naive argument
- another word for primitive (def. 5)
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- rare a person who is naive, esp in artistic styleSee primitive (def. 10)
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Word Origin
C17: from French, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin nātīvus native, from nasci to be born
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for naive
adj.
1650s, "natural, simple, artless," from French naïve, fem. of naïf, from Old French naif "naive, natural, genuine; just born; foolish, innocent; unspoiled, unworked" (13c.), from Latin nativus "not artificial," also "native, rustic," literally "born, innate, natural" (see native (adj.)). Related: Naively.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
naive
- Lacking worldliness and sophistication.
- Simple and credulous as a child.
- Not previously subjected to experiments.
- Not having previously taken or received a particular drug.
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- One who is artless, credulous, or uncritical.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.