naive
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na·ive
or na·ïve (nī-ēv′, nä-) also na·if or na·ïf (nī-ēf′, nä-)adj.
1. Lacking worldly experience and understanding, especially:
a. Simple and guileless; artless: a child with a naive charm.
b. Unsuspecting or credulous: naive victims of the scam.
2. Showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgment: "this extravagance of metaphors, with its naive bombast" (H.L. Mencken).
3. Not having experienced or been subjected to something, as:
a. Not previously subjected to experiments: testing naive mice.
b. Not having previously taken or received a particular drug: patients naive to antipsychotic medication.
n.
One who is artless, credulous, or uncritical.
[French naïve, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif, natural, native, from Latin nātīvus, native, rustic, from nātus, past participle of nāscī, to be born; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]
na·ive′ly adv.
na·ive′ness n.
Synonyms: naive, simple, ingenuous, unsophisticated, natural, unaffected, guileless, artless
These adjectives mean free from guile, cunning, or sham. Naive sometimes connotes a credulity that impedes effective functioning in a practical world: "this naive simple creature, with his straightforward and friendly eyes so eager to believe appearances" (Arnold Bennett).
Simple stresses absence of complexity, artifice, pretentiousness, or dissimulation: "Those of highest worth and breeding are most simple in manner and attire" (Francis Parkman)."Among simple people she had the reputation of being a prodigy of information" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
Ingenuous denotes childlike directness, simplicity, and innocence; it connotes an inability to mask one's feelings: an ingenuous admission of responsibility. Unsophisticated indicates absence of worldliness: the astonishment of unsophisticated tourists at the tall buildings. Natural stresses spontaneity that is the result of freedom from self-consciousness or inhibitions: "When Kavanagh was present, Alice was happy, but embarrassed; Cecilia, joyous and natural" (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).
Unaffected implies sincerity and lack of affectation: "With men he can be rational and unaffected, but when he has ladies to please, every feature works" (Jane Austen).
Guileless signifies absence of insidious or treacherous cunning: a guileless, disarming look. Artless stresses absence of plan or purpose and suggests unconcern for or lack of awareness of the reaction produced in others: a child of artless grace and simple goodness.
These adjectives mean free from guile, cunning, or sham. Naive sometimes connotes a credulity that impedes effective functioning in a practical world: "this naive simple creature, with his straightforward and friendly eyes so eager to believe appearances" (Arnold Bennett).
Simple stresses absence of complexity, artifice, pretentiousness, or dissimulation: "Those of highest worth and breeding are most simple in manner and attire" (Francis Parkman)."Among simple people she had the reputation of being a prodigy of information" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
Ingenuous denotes childlike directness, simplicity, and innocence; it connotes an inability to mask one's feelings: an ingenuous admission of responsibility. Unsophisticated indicates absence of worldliness: the astonishment of unsophisticated tourists at the tall buildings. Natural stresses spontaneity that is the result of freedom from self-consciousness or inhibitions: "When Kavanagh was present, Alice was happy, but embarrassed; Cecilia, joyous and natural" (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).
Unaffected implies sincerity and lack of affectation: "With men he can be rational and unaffected, but when he has ladies to please, every feature works" (Jane Austen).
Guileless signifies absence of insidious or treacherous cunning: a guileless, disarming look. Artless stresses absence of plan or purpose and suggests unconcern for or lack of awareness of the reaction produced in others: a child of artless grace and simple goodness.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
naive
(naɪˈiːv) ornaïve
;naïf
adj
1.
a. having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous
b. (as collective noun; preceded by the): only the naive believed him.
2. artless or unsophisticated
3. lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticism: a naive argument.
4. another word for primitive5
n
(Art Terms) rare a person who is naive, esp in artistic style. See primitive10
[C17: from French, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin nātīvus native, from nasci to be born]
naˈively, naˈïvely, naˈïfly adv
naˈiveness, naˈïveness, naˈïfness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
na•ive
or na•ïve
(nɑˈiv)adj.
1. having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
2. having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous.
3. marked by a simple style reflecting little or no formal training: naive painting.
4. not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.
[1645–55; < French, feminine of naïf, Old French naif natural, instinctive < Latin nātīvus native]
na•ive′ly, adv.
na•ive′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adj. | 1. | naive - 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" credulous - disposed to believe on little evidence; "the gimmick would convince none but the most credulous" uninformed - not informed; lacking in knowledge or information; "the uninformed public" unworldly - not concerned with the temporal world or swayed by mundane considerations; "was unworldly and did not greatly miss worldly rewards"- Sheldon Cheney sophisticated - having or appealing to those having worldly knowledge and refinement and savoir-faire; "sophisticated young socialites"; "a sophisticated audience"; "a sophisticated lifestyle"; "a sophisticated book" |
| 2. | naive - of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style; "primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking" beaux arts, fine arts - the study and creation of visual works of art untrained - not disciplined or conditioned or made adept by training; "an untrained voice"; "untrained troops"; "young minds untrained in the habit of concentration" | |
| 3. | naive - inexperienced innate, unconditioned, unlearned - not established by conditioning or learning; "an unconditioned reflex" | |
| 4. |  naive - lacking information or instruction; "lamentably unenlightened as to the laws"uninformed - not informed; lacking in knowledge or information; "the uninformed public" | |
| 5. | naive - not initiated; deficient in relevant experience; "it seemed a bizarre ceremony to uninitiated western eyes"; "he took part in the experiment as a naive subject" inexperienced, inexperient - lacking practical experience or training |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
naive
adjective gullible, trusting, credulous, unsuspicious, green, simple, innocent, childlike, callow, unsophisticated, unworldly, artless, ingenuous, guileless, wet behind the ears (informal), jejune, as green as grass He's so naive he'll believe anything I tell him.
gullible worldly, experienced, sophisticated, sly, artful, urbane, disingenuous, worldly-wise
gullible worldly, experienced, sophisticated, sly, artful, urbane, disingenuous, worldly-wise
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
naive
or naïvealso naif or naïf
adjective
1. Free from guile, cunning, or deceit:
2. Easily imposed on or tricked:
A guileless, unsophisticated person:
Idiom: babe in the woods.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بَسيط وجاهِلسَاذَجٌساذِج
naivníprostoduchýprostý
naivenfoldig
naiivi
naivan
gyermeteg
barnalegur; einlægureinfaldur
うぶな
순진한
naiviainegudraujantis
aprobežotsnaivsvienkāršs
naiven
naiv
ไม่มีเล่ห์เหลี่ยม ไม่มีมารยา
ngây thơ
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
naïve
naive [naɪˈiːv] adj → naïf/ïveto be naïve of sb to do sth
It was naive of him to believe her → C'était naïf de sa part de la croire.
it's naive to think (that) ... → il est naïf de penser que ...
politically naive → politiquement naïf
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
naïve
[naɪˈiːv] adj → ingenuo/aCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
naïve,
naive
(naiˈiːv) adjective1. simple and straightforward in one's way of thinking, speaking etc.
2. ignorantly simple.
naˈively adverbKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
naive
→ سَاذَجٌ naivní naiv naiv αφελής ingenuo naiivi naïf naivan ingenuo うぶな 순진한 naïef naiv naiwny ingénuo, ingênuo наивный naiv ไม่มีเล่ห์เหลี่ยม ไม่มีมารยา saf ngây thơ 天真的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
naive
a. ingenuo-a; cándido-a; inocente.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012