naively

American  

[nah-eev-lee] / nɑˈiv li /

Or naïvely

adverb

1. in a way that shows a lack of experience, judgment, or information.

   I'll just stretch the contents of my talks into a book, I thought naively, but after three years of hard work I’m still far from completing a manuscript.

2. in a way that shows simplicity of character and the absence of artificiality or sophistication.

   The ancient historian Herodotus marks a transitional stage in cultural anthropology, between naively artless chronicle writing and scientific research.

3. in a way not influenced by previous participation in a scientific experiment or awareness of its real purpose.

   Participants behave naively and more naturally if they don’t know the true nature or objective of the study.

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Other Word Forms

• unnaively adverb

Etymology

Origin of naively

naive ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

"Very naively", said Shull, she had not read her insurance policy's small print, meaning that she would get nothing for what was lost or to help with re-opening the restaurant.

From BBC

And yet it represented a floor which I naively believed democratic accountability could not fall beneath without consequence.

From Salon

In Brontë’s book, Isabella marries Heathcliff naively believing he might shape up into a gentleman and flees with their son when she realizes that is out of the question.

From Los Angeles Times

Her barrister said Pinckard's "giving of cakes and sweets" was "naively and stupidly trying to make the lives of prisoners somewhat better".

From BBC

Ridgeon said she "rather naively" thought she and her daughter could catch them quite easily using slip leads.

From BBC

Related Words

• foolishly
• stupidly