naiveté
or na·ïve·té, na·ive·te
[nah-eev-tey, -ee-vuh-tey, -eev-tey, -ee-vuh-]
- the quality or state of being naive; natural or artless simplicity.
- a naive action, remark, etc.
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Origin of naiveté
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for naivete
Contemporary Examples
Charges of naivete, cluelessness, and “nonsense demagoguery” were hurled back and forth.
Our naivete would soon force me to make a decision that would tip the balance of the campaign.
In our naivete, we sometimes go rushing in where angels fear to tread.
The program began to teeter under the weight of its own outsized expectations, questionable staffing decisions, and naivete.
At times the optimism bordered on naivete, suggesting possible conflicts down the road.
Historical Examples
But there was a sort of freshness and naivete and youthfulness about her which made him use that adjective.
We TwoEdna Lyall
In Mr. Collins we see much of the naivete of Suett and Blisset.
FitzHarry raves about her, and says her naivete is something too delicious.
A Phyllis of the SierrasBret Harte
He avows his policy with the naivete which makes the charm of his style as writer.
The Parisians, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Then she said with naivete "It was not a great sum to carry on a war with."
Personal Recollections of Joan of ArcMark Twain
Word Origin and History for naivete
n.
1670s, from French naïveté, from Old French naiveté "genuineness, authenticity," literally "native disposition" (see naive). Englished form naivety is attested from 1708.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper