naive

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

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

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

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 ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

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
- Describing Qualities

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