Word
naive
US/ˌnaɪˈiv/
UK/naɪˈiːv/
Definitions
01lacking experience
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. trusting people too much or believing things too easily because you do not have enough experience of the world.
adj. demonstrating a lack of experience, wisdom, or informed judgement; often implies an idealistic but unrealistic view of the world.
“It was naive of him to think that the strangers would return his lost wallet.”
“The young diplomat was criticized for his naive belief that a simple handshake could resolve decades of territorial conflict.”
Antonyms
02art style
C1 · Advanced Technical
adj. describing art that is created in a simple, childlike way, often by someone who has not been formally trained.
adj. relating to or denoting a style of art that is deliberately simple and lacks conventional expertise in perspective or anatomy.
“The museum has a beautiful collection of naive paintings by local farmers.”
“The exhibition explores the charm of naive art, highlighting how these self-taught painters captured rural life without the constraints of formal perspective.”
Antonyms
03computing/math
C1 · Advanced Computing Technical
adj. describing a simple way of solving a problem that does not use complex or advanced methods.
adj. referring to an algorithm or approach that is simple, direct, and lacks optimization or sophisticated heuristics.
“A naive search might take hours, but a better program can do it in seconds.”
“While the naive implementation of the sorting algorithm is easy to code, its performance degrades significantly with larger datasets.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04an inexperienced person
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary
n. a person who lacks experience or is too trusting.
n. an individual characterized by a lack of sophistication or worldly wisdom.
“In the story, the young naive arrives in the big city with high hopes.”
“The protagonist is portrayed as a wide-eyed naive who is eventually hardened by the harsh realities of the political machine.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“And then a baby was sprung on me that I’d never planned for.”
Clive, then 32, would now admit he was naive about the consequences of the decision that changed his life.” “He said he was “neither afraid nor naive” about the dangers posed by Russia.” Etymology
Borrowed from French naïve, feminine form of naïf, from Latin nātīvus (“native, natural”). Doublet of native.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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