naive

adjective

na·​ive nä-ˈēv How to pronounce naive (audio)
nī-
variants or naïve
naiver; naivest
Synonyms of naivenext
1
: marked by innocence or simplicity : artless, ingenuous
a naive belief that all people are good
"Coat!" said Russelton, with an appearance of the most naive surprise …; "coat, Sir Willoughby! do you call this thing a coat?"—Edward Bulwer-Lytton
2
a
: having or showing lack of experience or knowledge
She may be naïve about love, but she is good with the law.—Susie Bright
… naïve country boy like Ho, unfamiliar with the dangers all around him …—Helen Zia
especially : credulous
… tells tall tales of the West to tweak naïve city slickers. —Miriam Horn
b
: not previously subjected to experimentation or a particular experimental situation
made the test with naive rats
also : not having previously used a particular drug (such as marijuana)
c
: not having been exposed previously to an antigen
naive T cells
3
a
: self-taught, primitive
a naive painter
b
: produced by or as if by a self-taught artist
naive murals
naively adverb
or naïvely
We naively believed we could fix the problem.
naiveness noun

Synonyms of naive

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natural, ingenuous, naive, unsophisticated, artless mean free from pretension or calculation.

natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

Examples of naive in a Sentence

Secularism requires a commitment to civil liberty, which rests partly on respect for civil disobedience—peaceful acts of conscience that challenge rules of law. If civil libertarianism is naïve, then so is the hope of secular government. —Wendy Kaminer, Free Inquiry, December 2008/January 2009
He exhibits a naïve sort of confidence when talking about the doubts surrounding him and the perceived slights in the draft run-up. —Peter King, Sports Illustrated, 1 May 2006
His crimes were described as mere bumps in the road, minor offenses committed by a man-boy described as innocent, naïve, trusting, a simple country boy who got lost in airports and was astonished to find out that he could order a pizza over the phone. —Pat Jordan, Harper's, October 2004
a naive belief that all people are good a naive view of the world She asked a lot of naive questions. I was young and naive at the time, and I didn't think anything bad could happen to me. The plan seems a little naive. If you're naive enough to believe him, you'll believe anyone.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Unauthorized sequels reveal the extremes of why people make movies in the first place, from purely cynical money grabs to pure — even naive — devotion to characters and their world. — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 In just a few short weeks, his childish, naive world becomes brutally adult. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026 Hochman said Flores simply could have taken notes on the inappropriate comments and turned them in to superiors or the independent inspector general, which strikes me as either sweetly naive or disingenuous. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 Don Nelson was a huge man, and unaware of how intimidating this was to a young, naive reporter. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for naive

Word History

Etymology

French naïve, feminine of naïf, from Old French, inborn, natural, from Latin nativus native

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of naive was in 1614

Rhymes for naive

See All Rhymes for naive

Browse Nearby Words

naissant
naive
naïveness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Naive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naive. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

naive

adjective
na·​ive
variants or naïve
nä-ˈēv How to pronounce naive (audio)
naiver; naivest
1
: marked by honest simplicity : artless
2
: showing lack of experience or knowledge : credulous
naively adverb
Etymology

from French naïve "having a natural simplicity and honesty," from early French naïf "being part of the nature of a person from birth, native, inborn," from Latin nativus "native," from natus, past participle of nasci "to be born" — related to native

Medical Definition

naive

adjective
na·​ive
variants or naïve
nä-ˈēv How to pronounce naive (audio)
naiver; naivest
1
: not previously subjected to experimentation or a particular experimental situation
naive laboratory rats
2
: not having previously used a particular drug (as marijuana)
3
: not having been exposed previously to an antigen
a naive immune system
naive T cells

More from Merriam-Webster on naive

Nglish: Translation of naive for Spanish Speakers

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