naive

C1 Topic:Mind & Cognition

US /naɪˈiv/ UK /naɪˈiːv/ See IPA manual

Freq #5173

Meanings

1

adj
Lacking experience or judgement, and too quick to trust or believe things.

It was naive of him to think the deal had no risks at all.
2

adj
Simple and childlike in a charming way, without sophistication.

The painting had a naive, almost childlike style that many people loved.
3

adj
Not yet exposed to or affected by something, especially in science.

The study used animals that were naive to the drug being tested.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking experience or... naif

2 adj · simple and childlike in a... primitive

More artless callow childlike clueless credulous cutedewy-eyedfleeceablefoppoteegreen guileless immature

Opposites

affected maturenuancedpretentious sophisticated wily worldly

Word family

Forms naivernaivest

Derived forms bionaivechemonaivedrug-naiveimmunonaivenaivelynaivenessnaivismnaivistsemi-naive

Related forms beginner bumpkin greenhorn gullible ingenue mark naif naivety newnewbienoobnoobie

Etymology

Borrowed from French naïve, feminine form of naïf, from Latin nātīvus (“native, natural”). Doublet of native.

*ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European nātīvus Latin

View etymology graph ->

External links

# naive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /naɪˈiv/
**IPA (UK):** /naɪˈiːv/
**Frequency rank:** 5173

## Meanings
1. Lacking experience or judgement, and too quick to trust or believe things.
2. Simple and childlike in a charming way, without sophistication.
3. Not yet exposed to or affected by something, especially in science.

## Examples
- It was naive of him to think the deal had no risks at all.
- The painting had a naive, almost childlike style that many people loved.
- The study used animals that were naive to the drug being tested.

## Synonyms
- artless
- callow
- childlike
- clueless
- credulous
- cute
- dewy-eyed
- fleeceable
- foppotee
- green
- guileless
- immature

## Antonyms
- affected
- mature
- nuanced
- pretentious
- sophisticated
- wily
- worldly

## Derived Forms
- bionaive
- chemonaive
- drug-naive
- immunonaive
- naively
- naiveness
- naivism
- naivist
- semi-naive

## Related Forms
- beginner
- bumpkin
- greenhorn
- gullible
- ingenue
- mark
- naif
- naivety
- new
- newbie
- noob
- noobie

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ǵenh₁-
- Root: nātīvus

## Etymology
Borrowed from French naïve, feminine form of naïf, from Latin nātīvus (“native, natural”). Doublet of native.

## AI Etymology
Naive is borrowed from French naïve, feminine form of naïf, from Latin nātīvus (“native, natural”). Doublet of native. In present-day use, it can mean lacking experience or judgement, and too quick to trust or believe things, or simple and childlike in a charming way, without sophistication. Derived formations include bionaive, chemonaive, drug-naive, immunonaive, and naively.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition

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naive

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