naive

[nah-eev] /nɑˈiv/

adjective

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

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.

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

valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.

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

Also, naïve.

Origin

1645-55; < French, feminine of naïf, Old French naif natural, instinctive < Latin nātīvus native

Related forms

naively, adverb

naiveness, noun

unnaive, adjective

unnaively, adverb

Synonyms

1. simple, unaffected, unsuspecting, artless, guileless, candid, open, plain.

Antonyms

1. sophisticated, artful.

Examples from the web for naive

David is naive, but he's not that naive.
But of course to have found fault reveals the naïve temper of criticism in the late seventies.
It is sophisticated and naïve simultaneously, sometimes in the same symbols that they use.
Some evidence suggests that those who are ignorant or naïve are subject to manipulation by a loud, opinionated minority.
It would be naïve to pick up the memoir of a recently retired politician expecting total candor.
But protesting against war may not have seemed so futile or naïve in the nineteen-thirties.
But the way endowments actually work made a naïve fantasy of that simple, heartfelt dream.
Moreover, an apparently naïve query may be a test of how well you can respond to uninformed students.
If there is a failing in this book, it is that the authors sometimes stray toward naïve optimism.
He was completely naïve to the ways to package and sell the product, not to mention finance his early investments.

British Dictionary definitions for naive

naive

/naɪˈiːv/

adjective

having or expressing innocence and credulity; ingenuous
(as collective noun; preceded by the): only the naive believed him

artless or unsophisticated

lacking developed powers of analysis, reasoning, or criticism: a naive argument

another word for primitive (sense 5)

noun

(rare) a person who is naive, esp in artistic style See primitive (sense 10)

Derived Forms

naively, naïvely, naïfly, adverb
naiveness, naïveness, naïfness, noun

Word Origin

C17: from French, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif native, spontaneous, from Latin nātīvusnative, from nasci to be born

Word Origin and History for naive

adj.

1650s, "natural, simple, artless," from French naïve, fem. of naïf, from Old French naif "naive, natural, genuine; just born; foolish, innocent; unspoiled, unworked" (13c.), from Latin nativus "not artificial," also "native, rustic," literally "born, innate, natural" (see native (adj.)). Related: Naively.

naive in Medicine

naive na·ive or na·ïve (nä-ēv') or na·if or na·ïf (nä-ēf')
adj.

Lacking worldliness and sophistication.
Simple and credulous as a child.
Not previously subjected to experiments.
Not having previously taken or received a particular drug.

n.
One who is artless, credulous, or uncritical.

naive in Technology

Untutored in the perversities of some particular program or system; one who still tries to do things in an intuitive way, rather than the right way (in really good designs these coincide, but most designs aren't "really good" in the appropriate sense). This trait is completely unrelated to general maturity or competence or even competence at any other specific program. It is a sad commentary on the primitive state of computing that the natural opposite of this term is often claimed to be "experienced user" but is really more like "cynical user".
(1994-11-29)