naivete

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   lack of experience, judgment, or sophistication

   His naivete led him to accept the implausible offer without checking its terms.

2. 2
   noun

   an innocent, unaffected simplicity or openness

   The young singer retained a disarming naivete despite her sudden fame.

The unaccented spelling of French naïveté 'naturalness, innocence,' from naïf 'natural, unspoiled.' The French adjective ultimately descends from Latin nativus 'innate, natural,' from nasci 'to be born.' English uses both naivete and the accented form naïveté.

Topics