variants
or naif
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
the senator, newly elected and still naïf, will learn soon enough how Washington really works
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or naif
as in virgin
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of naïf
Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 July 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Most illustrators play up the coziness of the tale, what with children all snug in their beds dreaming of sugarplums and suchlike, but the friendly lines and marzipan colors of Ms. Beech’s naif illustrations take coziness to a new level.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Noun
Glusman is perfectly fine, but the writing leaves this figure too much of a naif to seem threatening or to be credible when Elliot somehow circumvents Sophie’s protective barriers.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 July 2025
Rogan, wearing his persona as a babe-in-the-woods naif, listened to this nonsense in slack-jawed stupefaction.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïf
Adjective
-
My call with her was my naïve attempt at just this.—
Elisa Wouk Almino
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Those two youngsters happen to be a happily engaged, and happily naive, couple, and the series plays out exploring the dynamics between the two relationships, one young, loving and energetic, the other old, tired and toxic.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Additionally, Smart Linen is just 10 to 20 percent more expensive compared to virgin fibers when the price of virgin is at a low level.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Mar. 2026
-
But fans of the myth of Erzsébet Báthory, who was accused circa the early 17th century of killing young virgins to bathe in their blood for her own beautification, might be let down by what’s ultimately a silly, madcap Vienna adventure.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This yellowy-green syrup gets mixed with the snow to make a tangy, spicy snow cone.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In November 2021, Bailey was crossing Saratoga while the pedestrian signal was green.—
Chevall Pryce,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and much of the Iranian security hierarchy, would not survive the first day of bombing; neither would about a hundred and seventy-five innocents in the southern city of Minab, most of them children.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
-
As Archangel Michael, Devyn Wade is both boyishly sweet and terrified as a devil’s advocate, cautiously questioning God’s decisions and her history of killing the innocent.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Steve Ponto said his daughter means well, but is inexperienced and especially passionate.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Messi went in as a halftime substitute in the 2-1 victory over Mauritania on March 27, a result against an inexperienced opponent that did not sit well with Scaloni.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Dawkins and right tackle Spencer Brown suffered injuries that sidelined them in Pittsburgh, forcing greenhorns Ryan Vandemark and Alec Anderson into service against T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Finally, and very importantly for the greenhorns among us: What’s your tip for getting rid of soreness after a ride?—
Samantha Dunn,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Richardson does a good job of situating the fledgling Rolling Stone on the cultural landscape of San Francisco that bracketed the Summer of Love (1967, the year the magazine launched).—
James Sullivan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Reportedly shunned by festivals like Sundance and SXSW last year and ignored by distributors, this provocative chamber drama finally gets a theatrical release from a fledgling shingle, Obscured Releasing, this spring.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At one point, the Phantom and Christine, the ingenue and the object of his obsession, glide toward you in a gondola, crossing an underground lake.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Yet in her disaster, a new ingenue steps into the spotlight.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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