1
: marked by unaffected simplicity : artless, ingenuous
«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
: deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
their naive ignorance of life … when they were first married—Arnold Bennett
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
3
b
: produced by or as if by a self-taught artist
naively
adverb
or naïvely
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for naive
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.
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.
Example Sentences
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.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Ulysses Grant, the Union general and hero of the Civil War, was otherwise naive about those around him.
—Hillel Italie, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2023
Kenner has described the hip-hop star as a naive amateur diplomat, not a criminal.
—Paul Duggan, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Mar. 2023
Kenner has described the hip-hop star as a naive amateur diplomat — a dilettante, not a criminal.
—Paul Duggan, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023
These moments unfold on screen, however, with a naive insouciance, as though Apu had been dreaming them up in the first place.
—Hazlitt, 29 Mar. 2023
Fentanyl is now sometimes found not just in opioids, like heroin, but also in other drugs like cocaine or counterfeit versions of stimulants, like Adderall, often causing overdose in unwitting, opioid-naive users.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 28 Mar. 2023
Don’t be so naive.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2022
The Last Generation’s proposals are also relatively naive, says Dr. Rucht.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2023
The cast member who’s going to bring fans stampeding isn’t a teen at all, but rather Supernatural (and Tumblr) favorite Misha Collins, who plays Gotham’s utterly moral, inexplicably naive Harvey Dent.
—Alexis Gunderson, Chron, 1 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘naive.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Dictionary Entries Near naive
Cite this Entry
“Naive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naive. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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6 Apr 2023
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naïve (pronounce: «na-EEV») is a French word which is used in English to mean that someone is very simple and does not understand about the dangers around them. Someone who is naïve does not have enough experience of life to know about things he or she ought to know; for example, they may be very trusting, not realizing that some people in the world are evil and that some situations are perilous.
The word is sometimes spelt in English without the French double dot on the letter i, «naive», due to the default settings for typing in English lacking it. It is an adjective. The noun is naïveté, but is sometimes spelt naïvety in English. It is similar in meaning to the word «innocent» and is not always a negative quality in that being naïve implies a lack of acquired prejudice.
The word naïve is used in other special ways in the arts and sciences. It often means «lack of experience», but it does not necessarily mean it in a critical way.
- Naïve art is art which is created by people who have not been trained as artists.
- Naïve realism is the way that most people see and understand the world.
- In ecology it can mean animals that have not learned to be afraid of other animals that might attack and eat them.
[change | change source]
- Innocent
What Does the Word Naive Mean?
According to Collins English Dictionary, the word naive is an adjective that refers to someone or something lacking worldly experience or formal training. The word naive is two syllables – na-ive. The pronunciation of naive is naɪˈiːv.
Naive in a Nutshell
Someone who is naive has an unaffected simplicity of nature and a lack of wisdom. A naive person will often lack self-consciousness and have an absence of artificiality. They might also have trouble relating to other people in their age group. In addition, a naive person might have a childlike style.
Is Naive an Insult?
The word naive often has a negative connotation. It’s usually used to demean someone and portray them as childish and overly innocent.
What Are Translations of the Word Naive?
Many different world languages contain translations of the word naive. Some of these look similar to the word in English, which may mean that the words share a common origin. This list from Word Sense is sure to help you in any situation where you need a translation of naïve.
- Armenian: միամիտ, պարզամիտ
- Cyrillic: наиван
- Scottish Gaelic: soineannta
- Roman: naivan
- Hungarian: naiv
- Bulgarian: наивен
- Arabic: سَاذَج (masc.), سَاذَجَة (fem.)
- Norwegian: naiv, godtroende
- German: unbefangen, naiv, blauäugig
- Finnish: naiivi
- Italian: ingenuo
- Danish: naiv, enfoldig
- Spanish: cándido, ingenuo
- Ido: naiva
- Russian: наи́вный
- Latin: credulus, simplex
- Georgian: გულუბრყვილო, მიამიტი
- Catalan: ingenu (masc.), càndid (masc.)
- Persian: ساده لوح (sâde-lowh), خام (xâm), ببو (babu)
- Polish: naiwny
- Esperanto: naiva
- Greek: αφελής (masc.) (f)
- Yiddish: תּמימותדיק (temimesdik)
- Swedish: naiv, blåögd, oskyldig
- Vietnamese: ngờ nghệch, khờ dại, ngây thơ
- Czech: naivní
- French: naïf (masc.), naïve (fem.)
- Portuguese: ingênuo
- Macedonian: наивен (naiven)
- Turkish: saf, naif
- Luxembourgish: naiv
- Maori: tūpatokore
- Galician: inxenuo
- Lao: ໄຮ້ດຽງສາ
- Japanese: 無邪気 (mujaki), あどけない (adokenai)
- Korean: 순진한, 우직한, 박직한
- Hebrew: נָאִיבִי (na’ívi), תָּמִים (tamím)
- Dutch: naïef, tegen beter weten in
- Gulf Arabic: صيدة (9e:də)
- Cornish: anfel
- Indonesian: naif
What Is the Etymology of the Word Naive?
Merriam-Webster states that the word naive has been used since the year 1614 in English. The word comes from the French naïve, which is the feminine form of the French naïf.
This French word comes from the Old French naif, a word meaning inborn or natural. Naif stems from nātus and the Latin nātīvus, with roots in the past participle of nāscī. The Latin nasci has Indo-European roots.
The word naive also inspired other parts of speech, including the noun naivety – naïveté, the adverb naively, and the superlatives naiver and naivest.
How Can the Word Naive Be Used in a Sentence?
The word naive can be used in a wide variety of circumstances in the English language. Take a look at the example sentences below to get a better sense of the use cases of this versatile word.
It was with a naive spirit and wide friendly eyes that she visited Disney with great enjoyment for the New Year.
The pandemic experts made a remark about the peculiar naive manner in which people behaved at the capitol riot. Such is the nature of politics.
There was a naive sort of elation to the business deal, unfortunately for the boss. He thought his underling would have had a better sense of critical judgment on different variables.
The naive subject of a scientific experiment sacrificed their body for advancements in the near future. Their immature attitude got them killed.
Grandma Moses asked many naive questions about things of paramount importance at the bizarre ceremony.
The Princeton University student had a naive view of the world.
Teenagers’ naive ignorance showed a lack of judgment and a lack of sophistication.
The onlookers compared American portrait paintings to primitive art with naive, uninitiated Western eyes.
The Italian Medicines Agency and European Medical Agency scolded the manufacturers of the biological drug. The medication was pushed on naïve patients as a valid therapeutic option. However, the prescribers did not consider the necessary previous exposure to form immune complexes due to the pharmacodynamics of a given drug.
Mendelssohn behaved in a peculiar, naive manner.
What Are Synonyms of the Word Naive?
If you are looking for a word that is similar to naive but that has a different connotation, take a look at these synonyms. Power Thesaurus lists numerous different synonyms used in place of the word naive.
Using synonyms is an excellent way to avoid overusing one particular word. It can also be a tactic for expanding your vocabulary or spicing up your writing. How many of these synonyms for the word naive do you already know? How many of them are new to you? Try using one of these synonyms in a sentence today!
- Artless
- Callow
- Candid
- Childish
- Childlike
- Confiding
- Credulous
- Dewy-Eyed
- Dupable
- Easy
- Exploitable
- Frank
- Fresh
- Green
- Guileless
- Gullible
- Ignorant
- Immature
- Inexperienced
- Ingenuous
- Innocent
- Jejune
- Naif
- Natural
- Plain
- Primitive
- Simple
- Simple-Minded
- Sincere
- Susceptible
- Trusting
- Unaffected
- Unenlightened
- Uninitiated
- Uninstructed
- Unschooled
- Unsophisticated
- Unsuspecting
- Unsuspicious
- Unwary
- Unworldly
- Wet Behind the Ears
- Wide-Eyed
What Are Antonyms of the Word Naive?
There are also plenty of words with the opposite meaning of the word naive, which are called antonyms. Take a look at this list of antonyms of the word naive from Power Thesaurus and see how many you know.
- Artful
- Canny
- Cosmopolitan
- Critical
- Cynical
- Doubting
- Experienced
- Hardheaded
- Intelligent
- Knowledgeable
- Leery
- Mistrustful
- Shrewd
- Skeptical
- Sly
- Smart
- Sophisticated
- Streetwise
- Suspicious
- Wary
- Wise
- Worldly
Recap
The word naive means having a lack of knowledge, guile, or experience. Many things can be naive, including a naive assumption, a naive person, or a naive idea.
Sources:
- Naive: meaning, origin, translation | WordSense Dictionary
- Naive Definition & Meaning | Merriam-Webster
- Naive synonyms – 1 081 Words and Phrases for Naive | Power Thesaurus
- Naive definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
- Naive antonyms – 686 Opposites of Naive | Power Thesaurus
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
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- British
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
or na·ïve
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
adjective
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.
having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique: valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.
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Origin of naive
First recorded in 1645–55; from French, feminine of naïf, Old French naif “natural, instinctive,” from Latin nātīvus native
usage note for naive
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 WORDS FROM naive
na·ive·ly, adverbna·ive·ness, nounun·na·ive, adjective
Words nearby naive
nairu, Naismith, Naismith’s rule, naissance, naissant, naive, naively, naive realism, naiveté, naivety, Najaf
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to naive
ignorant, innocent, simple, sincere, unsophisticated, wide-eyed, aboveboard, artless, callow, candid, confiding, countrified, credulous, forthright, frank, fresh, green, guileless, gullible, harmless
How to use naive in a sentence
-
Meanwhile, some pandemic experts say that presuming a return to normal public life, critical to Disney, would be naive anytime in the near future.
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We’re not naive to think that a business deal can’t blow up.
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It would be naive to think a robust sports schedule would have prevented the Capitol riot.
-
It was always optimistic, boarding on the naive, to think a new year would immediately wash away the problems of 2020.
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In many ways and for many years, Viking scholars have been naive and simplistic about their acknowledgement and recognition of gender variation in the later Iron Age.
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I was naive enough to assume that he would, at most, rob me.
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Artists now consider the Ideal Palace a piece of “naive” or “outsider” art.
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She tackles weighty subjects with a naive sensibility and faux-innocence, but skillfully avoids dumbing them down.
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I was definitely naive, I think the main similarity between me and Hal is that we were naive.
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Maybe you can call it naive but that’s the way Shae simply is.
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And Jansoulet felt the delight of a child, a plebeian joy, compounded of ignorance and naive vanity.
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There was a naturalness in his enjoyment which was almost boylike; a naive sort of exultation possessed him.
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Buzonniere, Rochfort and Fangouse are milder and more naive in their demonstrations and their works are of no weight or interest.
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A remark which Mendelssohn once made in his peculiar naive manner is very characteristic of him and his opinion of Chopin.
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But he got the impression that she was almost fantastically naive.
British Dictionary definitions for naive
adjective
- having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous
- (as collective noun; preceded by the)only the naive believed him
artless or unsophisticated
lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticisma naive argument
noun
Derived forms of naive
naively, navely or nafly, adverbnaiveness, naveness or nafness, noun
Word Origin for naive
C17: from French, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin nātīvus native, from nasci to be born
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- naïve
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from French naïve, feminine form of naïf, from Latin nativus (“native, natural”). Doublet of native.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /naɪˈiːv/, /nɑːˈiːv/
- Rhymes: -iːv
Adjective[edit]
naive (comparative more naive, superlative most naive)
- Lacking worldly experience, wisdom, or judgement; unsophisticated.
-
1965, Richard Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics and music), “Going on Seventeen”, in The Sound of Music[1]:
-
I am sixteen going on seventeen, I know that I’m naive
-
-
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Krogan: Genophage Codex entry:
-
The salarians believed the genophage would be used as a deterrent, a position the turians viewed as naive. Once the project was complete, the turians mass produced and deployed it. The krogan homeworld, their colonies, and all occupied worlds were infected.
-
-
- Not having been exposed to something.
- 2011, Lila Miller, Kate Hurley, Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters
- Animals entering shelters are either (a) immunologically naïve and susceptible to infection and development of disease if exposed to pathogens; (b) already immune […]
- 2011, Lila Miller, Kate Hurley, Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters
- (of art) Produced in a simple, childlike style, deliberately rejecting sophisticated techniques.
-
2006, Janis Mink, Joan Miró, →ISBN, page 33:
-
By 1921 when Miró painted his key work, naive painting had been recognized by the avantgarde art world as a genre in its own right.
-
-
- (computing) Intuitive; designed to follow the way ordinary people approach a problem.
-
2007, Takao Terano, Huan Liu, & Arbee L.P. Chen, Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, →ISBN:
-
We have experiments of running our matching algorithm and a naive matching algorithm for such a term tree and a tree, and have compared the performance of the two algorithms.
-
-
Usage notes[edit]
- Google Ngram Viewer shows naive to be historically more common than naïve but the latter has gained popularity after year 2000, reaching the popularity of the other spelling.[1] Whether the Viewer can properly scan such diacritics is unclear.
- Spellings in dictionaries:
- naive is covered by Merriam-Webster[2], AHD[3], Collins[4], Macmillan[5], Cambridge[6] and OED[7].
- naïve is covered by Merriam-Webster (as a variant)[2], AHD[3], Collins (as a variant)[4], Macmillan (as a variant)[5], Cambridge (as a variant)[6], OED (as a variant)[7], and Century 1911[8].
- GPO manual states that «Diacritical marks are not used with anglicized word» and mentions naive and naivete.[9]
- Guardian and Observer style guide indicates naive, naively, and naivety with no accent.[10]
- The diaeresis in naïve is there to indicate the vowel is pronounced in a separate syllable.[11]
- Since naïve is a feminine adjective in French, the masculine naïf (or naif) is occasionally used in English when describing a man, but naive/naïve is most often treated as gender-neutral. Naif or naïf is also the noun form in English.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:naive
Antonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:naive
Derived terms[edit]
- immunologically naive
- naively
- naiveness
- semi-naive
[edit]
- naif
- naïf
- naïveté
- naivety
Translations[edit]
lacking experience, wisdom, or judgement
- Albanian: sylesh (sq), makalush (sq)
- Arabic: سَاذَج (ar) (sāḏaj)
- Gulf Arabic: صيدة (ṣēdə)
- Armenian: միամիտ (hy) (miamit), պարզամիտ (hy) (parzamit)
- Azerbaijani: sadəlöhv
- Basque: inozo
- Belarusian: наі́ўны (naíŭny)
- Bulgarian: наи́вен (bg) (naíven)
- Catalan: ingenu (ca), càndid (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 天真 (tin1 zan1), 幼稚 (jau3 zi6)
- Hakka: 天天 (thiên-thiên)
- Mandarin: 天真 (zh) (tiānzhēn), 幼稚 (zh) (yòuzhì)
- Min Nan: 天真 (thian-chin), 幼稚 (zh-min-nan) (iù-tī)
- Cornish: anfel
- Czech: naivní (cs)
- Danish: naiv, enfoldig
- Dutch: naïef (nl), tegen beter weten in
- Esperanto: naiva (eo)
- Finnish: naiivi (fi)
- French: naïf (fr), ingénu (fr)
- Galician: inxenuo (gl)
- Georgian: გულუბრყვილო (gulubrq̇vilo), მიამიტი (ka) (miamiṭi)
- German: unbefangen (de), naiv (de), blauäugig (de)
- Greek: αφελής (el) (afelís)
- Ancient Greek: ἀπειρόκακος (apeirókakos)
- Ancient: εὐήθης (euḗthēs)
- Hebrew: נָאִיבִי (he) (na’ívi), תָּמִים (he) (tamím)
- Hungarian: naiv (hu)
- Ido: naiva (io)
- Indonesian: naif (id)
- Irish: soineanta
- Italian: ingenuo (it), candido (it), semplice (it), spontaneo (it), credulone (it), sempliciotto (it)
- Japanese: 無邪気な (ja) (むじゃきな, mujaki na), あどけない (ja) (adokenai)
- Korean: 순진하다 (ko) (sunjinhada), 우직하다 (ko) (ujikhada), 박직하다 (bakjikhada)
- Lao: ໄຮ້ດຽງສາ (hai dīang sā)
- Latin: credulus, simplex (la)
- Latvian: naivs
- Luxembourgish: naiv (lb)
- Macedonian: наивен (naiven)
- Maori: tūpatokore
- Norwegian: enfoldig (no)
- Bokmål: naiv (no), godtroende (no)
- Nynorsk: naiv
- Persian: ساده لوح (fa) (sâde-lowh), خام (fa) (xâm), ببو (fa) (babu)
- Polish: naiwny (pl)
- Portuguese: ingénuo (pt) (Portugal), ingênuo (pt) (Brazil)
- Romanian: naiv (ro)
- Russian: наи́вный (ru) (naívnyj)
- Scottish Gaelic: soineannta
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: на̏ӣван
- Roman: nȁīvan (sh)
- Slovak: naivný
- Slovene: naiven
- Spanish: cándido (es), ingenuo (es)
- Swedish: naiv (sv), blåögd (sv), oskyldig (sv)
- Thai: ไร้เดียงสา (rái-diiang-sǎa)
- Turkish: saf (tr), naif (tr)
- Ukrainian: наї́вний (najívnyj)
- Vietnamese: ngờ nghệch (vi), ngây thơ (vi)
- Yiddish: תּמימותדיק (temimesdik)
(art) simple, childlike style
- Bulgarian: простоду́шен (bg) (prostodúšen)
- Catalan: naïf (ca)
- Finnish: naivistinen (fi)
- French: naïf (fr)
- Galician: naíf
- Greek: ναΐφ (naḯf)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: naiv (no)
- Nynorsk: naiv
- Portuguese: naïf (pt)
- Russian: простоду́шный (ru) (prostodúšnyj)
- Spanish: naíf (es), naif (es)
- Turkish: naif (tr)
Noun[edit]
naive (plural naives)
- A naive person; a greenhorn.
-
2010, Daphne Oz, The Dorm Room Diet:
-
As a seasoned woman—of nineteen—I felt it was my place to tell each of these naïves that such plans were easier made than followed.
-
-
2018, King Midas, Stupid Brokers — Stupid Clients:
-
In other words, they’d buy securities from these naives for 55 and sell them similar securities for 65. In plain English, they’d pay $550 per $1,000 bond and turn right around and sell them similar stuff for $650.
-
-
References[edit]
- ^ naive, naïve at Google Ngram Viewer
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 “naive”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 “naive”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 “naive”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 “naive” (US) / “naive” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 “naive” in the Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 “naive”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- ^ “naive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- ^ U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual, govinfo.gov
- ^ Guardian and Observer style guide, theguardian.com
- ^ What’s a Diaeresis? | Merriam-Webster
Further reading[edit]
- naive at OneLook Dictionary Search
- naïve, naive at Google Ngram Viewer
Anagrams[edit]
- avine, naevi, navie, nævi
Danish[edit]
Adjective[edit]
naive
- inflection of naiv:
- definite singular
- plural
Esperanto[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From naiva + -e.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): [naˈive]
- Rhymes: -ive
- Hyphenation: na‧i‧ve
Adverb[edit]
naive
- naively
German[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
naive
- inflection of naiv:
- strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
- strong nominative/accusative plural
- weak nominative all-gender singular
- weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Adjective[edit]
naive
- definite singular/plural of naiv
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Adjective[edit]
naive
- definite singular/plural of naiv
Swedish[edit]
Adjective[edit]
naive
- absolute definite natural masculine singular of naiv.
Have you ever been called naive? If you have, chances are it wasn’t meant as a compliment. When someone calls you naive, they usually suggest that you’re too simple or gullible – that you don’t understand how the world works. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
“Naive” is generally used to describe someone who is too trusting. It’s often used interchangeably with words like “simple,” “innocent,” or “unsuspecting.” When used to describe a person, naive usually has a negative connotation, suggesting that the person is too simple or gullible.
The word can also describe someone who is unsophisticated or lacking in worldliness. For example, you might say that a young person is naive because they haven’t experienced enough life to be jaded like the rest of us.
Naive can also describe situations or actions that display a lack of understanding. For example, you might be called naive if you make an untrue assumption. You can also use the word to describe something naive – like an idea or plan.
Example Usage
- “The government’s tax plan is quite naïve, they clearly don’t understand how the economy works.”
- “I can’t believe you actually fell for that scam! You’re so naive.”
- “You’re too naive to understand what’s really going on here.”
- “I was naive when I thought my new job would be easy.”
Origin
The word “naive” comes from the French word “naïf,” which means “natural” or “innocent.” The word describes someone simple and unaware of dangers or deceit. The word entered the English language in the mid-17th century and has been used to describe gullible people. “Naïf” was derived from the Latin word “nativus,” which means “born.” So, when you describe someone as naive, you’re essentially saying they’re born simple, innocent, or not artificial. Naive people are often considered to be a breath of fresh air. The world does not jade them; they tend to see the best in people. While this can be seen as a positive quality, it can also make naive people easy targets for scams or manipulation.
Phrases Similar to Naive
- “Greenhorn” A greenhorn is a novice or inexperienced person. This phrase is often used to describe someone new to a job or activity.
- “Rose-colored” refers to someone who only sees the good in people or situations.
- “Wet behind the ears” This phrase is used to describe someone who is young and inexperienced.
- “Pollyanna” is always optimistic and cheerful, even in difficult situations.
Phrases opposite to Naive
- “Jaded” A jaded person is tired of or bored with something because they have experienced it too much.
- “Skeptical” To be skeptical is to question the truth of something, usually because it seems too good to be true.
- “Worldly” means experienced in the world’s ways, not naive or innocent.
- “Wise” A wise person has a lot of knowledge and insight, especially from life experience.
What is The Correct Saying?
The proper saying is naive.
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Naive
There are several ways people may incorrectly say naive. The first way is using the word ‘nave’ instead of naive. While they may sound similar, these words have entirely different meanings.
- He has a lot of experience in these things being that he is so naïve.
- It is best to leave the complex tasks to those who are more than mere naïves.
- Being naïve is the best way to lead an assembly.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Naive
You can use it in informal as well as formal settings. When used negatively, naive can sound harsh. If you want to be gentler, try using phrases like “a bit naïve” or “a little naïve.” If you want to use the word more positively, you can say someone is “refreshingly naive.” Refreshingly naive people are usually optimistic.
- The best thing about children is that they are so naïve and don’t have nefarious motives.
- She was tricked because she is simply too naïve for her own good.
- naive
- [nɑ:|ʹi:v,naı{ʹi:v}-]
1. наивный, простодушный
naïve remark — наивное замечание
naïve child — простодушное дитя
naïve poetry — наивная /безыскусная/ поэзия
2. простоватый, недалёкий; легковерный
naïve faith — наивная вера
it was very naïve of you to believe him — с вашей стороны было наивно /неумно/ поверить ему
it would be naïve to assume — было бы наивностью считать
1) неподготовленный, неинформированный
we need naïve people to take this test — нам нужно, чтобы этому тесту подверглись люди, не имеющие представления о его предмете
2) первичный, исходный; не подвергавшийся ()
experimentally naïve mice — мыши, не бывшие в эксперименте
3) не подвергавшийся действию наркотиков; не пробовавший наркотиков
Новый большой англо-русский словарь.
2001.
Смотреть что такое «naive» в других словарях:
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naïve — naïve … Dictionnaire des rimes
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Naïve — may refer to:*a French loanword (adjective, form of naïf ) indicating having or showing a lack of experience, understanding or sophistication*Naïve art, art created by untrained artists, or artists aspiring to naïve realisations *Naïve realism, a … Wikipedia
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Naive — Naïve Records Cet article a pour sujet le label nommé Naïve. Pour une définition du mot « naïve », voir l’article naïve du Wiktionnaire. Filiale de … Wikipédia en Français
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Naïve — Records Cet article a pour sujet le label nommé Naïve. Pour une définition du mot « naïve », voir l’article naïve du Wiktionnaire. Filiale de … Wikipédia en Français
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naive — UK / US or naïve UK [naɪˈiːv] / US [nɑˈɪv] adjective a) a naive person lacks experience of life and tends to trust other people and believe things too easily a naive 17 year old b) typical of a naive person a naive question Derived words: naively … English dictionary
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naïve — naive UK / US or naïve UK [naɪˈiːv] / US [nɑˈɪv] adjective a) a naive person lacks experience of life and tends to trust other people and believe things too easily a naive 17 year old b) typical of a naive person a naive question Derived words:… … English dictionary
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NAIVE — prend forme en 2002 alors que Philippe Ouellette et Laurent Choinière se rencontrent et créent un groupe qu’ils nomment Wendy’s Dreaming. À cette époque, Philippe et Laurent sont tous deux guitaristes. Aujourd’hui, ils sont respectivement… … Wikipédia en Français
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naive — or naïve [nä ēv′] adj. [Fr, fem. of naïf < L nativus, natural, NATIVE] 1. unaffectedly, or sometimes foolishly, simple; childlike; artless 2. not suspicious; credulous naively adv. naïvely SYN. NAIVE implies a genuine, innocent simplicity or… … English World dictionary
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naive — a*ive , naive a*[ i]ve (n[aum]*[=e]v ), a. [F. na[ i]f, fem. na[ i]ve, fr. L. nativus innate, natural, native. See {Native}, and cf. {Na[ i]f}.] 1. Having native or unaffected simplicity; ingenuous; artless; frank; as, na[ i]ve manners; a na[… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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naive — a*ive , naive a*[ i]ve (n[aum]*[=e]v ), a. [F. na[ i]f, fem. na[ i]ve, fr. L. nativus innate, natural, native. See {Native}, and cf. {Na[ i]f}.] 1. Having native or unaffected simplicity; ingenuous; artless; frank; as, na[ i]ve manners; a na[… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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naive — (adj.) 1650s, natural, simple, artless, from Fr. naïve, fem. of naïf, from O.Fr. naif naive, natural, genuine; just born; foolish, innocent; unspoiled, unworked (13c.), from L. nativus not artificial, also native, rustic, lit. born, innate,… … Etymology dictionary
Other forms: naivest; naiver
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.»
Definitions of naive
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adjective
marked by or showing unaffected simplicity and lack of guile or worldly experience
“a teenager’s
naive ignorance of life”“the
naive assumption that things can only get better”“this
naive simple creature with wide friendly eyes so eager to believe appearances”-
synonyms:
naif
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credulous
disposed to believe on little evidence
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uninformed
not informed; lacking in knowledge or information
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childlike, dewy-eyed, round-eyed, simple, wide-eyed
exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity
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credulous
showing a lack of judgment or experience
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fleeceable, green, gullible
naive and easily deceived or tricked
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ingenuous, innocent
lacking in sophistication or worldliness
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simple-minded
lacking subtlety and insight
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unsophisticated, unworldly
not wise in the ways of the world
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unworldly
not concerned with the temporal world or swayed by mundane considerations
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credulous
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adjective
lacking information or instruction
-
synonyms:
unenlightened, uninstructed
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uninformed
not informed; lacking in knowledge or information
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uninformed
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-
Synonyms:
-
innate, unconditioned, unlearned
not established by conditioning or learning
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innate, unconditioned, unlearned
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adjective
not initiated; deficient in relevant experience
“he took part in the experiment as a
naive subject”-
synonyms:
uninitiate, uninitiated
-
inexperienced, inexperient
lacking practical experience or training
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inexperienced, inexperient
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adjective
of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style
-
synonyms:
primitive
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untrained
not disciplined or conditioned or made adept by training
-
untrained
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘naive’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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