naiveté
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being naive; natural or artless simplicity.
-
a naive action, remark, etc.
Etymology
Origin of naiveté
First recorded in 1665–75; from French; see naive, -ity ( def. )
Explanation
If you suggest that world peace could be achieved by handing out cookies in warring nations, you would be revealing a certain amount of naivete. This is a lack of wisdom and sophistication. Naivete has four syllables and is pronounced nigh-eve-i-TAY. The root naïve is a French adjective meaning “natural, just born.” Because it suggests innocence or ignorance, naivete is often associated with children, who lack experience and knowledge. But plenty of adults, too, display a certain amount of naivete when they make assumptions based on ignorance, an inability to grasp a situation, or a tendency to oversimplify complex things.
Vocabulary lists containing naivete
Into the Wild
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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The Wishing Spell
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The bestselling memoir has become a cautionary tale of financial naiveté.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Bailey has a wide-eyed clueless cuteness that lends to her character’s well-meaning naiveté — even her missteps have a way of working out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
“The regime’s naiveté was to believe missile programs could make up for the lack of a capable air force,” said Saeid Golkar, an Iran expert at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
The central figure is Renia, from Poland, played with innumerable nuances, as her character evolves from naiveté to ruthless opportunism, by the off-Broadway stalwart Marin Ireland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
It was either an amazing feat of stubbornness or naiveté, I thought, for someone who had seen so much death and suffering to still believe so unconditionally that everyone was as stand-up as he was.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
