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View synonyms for

naive

or Բ·ï

[ nah-eev ]

adjective

  1. 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.

  2. having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.

    Synonyms: , , , , , ,

    Antonyms: ,

  3. having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique:

    valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.

  4. not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.


naive

/ Բɪˈː /

adjective

    1. having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous
    2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      only the naive believed him

  1. artless or unsophisticated
  2. lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticism

    a naive argument

  3. another word for primitive
“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

noun

  1. rare.
    a person who is naive, esp in artistic style See primitive
“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
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Usage Note

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.
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Derived Forms

  • ԲˈԱ, noun
  • Բˈ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • Բ·· adverb
  • Բ··Ա noun
  • ܲ·Բ· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of naive1

First recorded in 1645–55; from French, feminine of Բï, Old French naif “natural, instinctive,” from Latin īܲ native
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Word History and Origins

Origin of naive1

C17: from French, feminine of Բï, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin īܲ native , from nasci to be born
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Ramsey also admitted to being "naive" about the public response to revealing they identify as non-binary and had received an autism diagnosis earlier this year.

From

"It was very naive from them collectively for the first time I've seen this season. They lost their way. I have never seen a Chelsea team fold in the way that they did."

From

And am I naive to think this is the triumphant call?

From

When you’re more naive, you think of it as like a noun, but it’s a doing thing.

From

Maybe Marine Le Pen was naive in not predicting this outcome.

From

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