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

• naively
  adverb
• naiveness
  noun
• unnaive
  adjective

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

Call me naive, but that’s what I thought most sports betting would look like after the Supreme Court struck down a law in 2018 that had prevented states from legalizing the practice.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

Another area where naive assumptions are made is in the resale market of real estate abroad.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

The Gulf Arab monarchies aren’t naive about great-power politics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

His sentiment was so naive it led Fox News’ Jesse Watters to remark, “I’m not sure you totally get what people feel about that.”

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

On the question of funding the domestic debt, for example, Hamilton regarded Madison’s proposal to distinguish between original and present holders of government securities as naive and mischievous.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

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