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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or naif
as in virgin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of naïf
Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Colorful naif pictures by Katie Hickey and text arranged in substantial chunks make this perfect for browsing by young readers with an interest in engineering or architecture.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Farrow, presenting in the early scenes as an utter naif, discovers the pleasures of running cons; LuPone, who shows up a hellion, develops a sensitivity and nurturing spirit to the lost soul who’s provided her character a home.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Obama is neither an out-of-his-depth naif nor a reactive realist.
—Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2012
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Reasonable readers will arrive at varied opinions about the taste of all this—the facts are the facts, and the narrative pulses with empathy, but the tone at times resembles cosmic horror, as if Ehrenfest were a Lovecraftian naif driven mad after glimpsing an Elder God.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Sonny, the political naif, suddenly has mastered the procedures of the Texas House and turns them to his advantage.
—Shawna Seed, Dallas News, 12 Sep. 2023
Who says Merrick Garland is a political naif?
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022
With long hair and stubble, Fletcher is grungy and sweet, a seemingly free-spirited naif who also is, when the movie requires it, a font of Lone Star wisdom.
—Jim Kiest, San Antonio Express-News, 8 July 2021
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
Colorful naif pictures by Katie Hickey and text arranged in substantial chunks make this perfect for browsing by young readers with an interest in engineering or architecture.
—Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022
Noun
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
Farrow, presenting in the early scenes as an utter naif, discovers the pleasures of running cons; LuPone, who shows up a hellion, develops a sensitivity and nurturing spirit to the lost soul who’s provided her character a home.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024
Obama is neither an out-of-his-depth naif nor a reactive realist.
—Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2012
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Reasonable readers will arrive at varied opinions about the taste of all this—the facts are the facts, and the narrative pulses with empathy, but the tone at times resembles cosmic horror, as if Ehrenfest were a Lovecraftian naif driven mad after glimpsing an Elder God.
—Amy Brady, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023
Sonny, the political naif, suddenly has mastered the procedures of the Texas House and turns them to his advantage.
—Shawna Seed, Dallas News, 12 Sep. 2023
Who says Merrick Garland is a political naif?
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022
With long hair and stubble, Fletcher is grungy and sweet, a seemingly free-spirited naif who also is, when the movie requires it, a font of Lone Star wisdom.
—Jim Kiest, San Antonio Express-News, 8 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïf
Adjective
-
By my naive estimation, our home sat at least three blocks south of the street no wildfire could realistically cross in any event other than the biblical apocalypse.—
Mikey O'Connell,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Jan. 2025
-
His first assignment is prosecuting Ma Ka-kit (Mason Fung), a naive young man pressured by his legal team into pleading guilty to drug charges despite his innocence.—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Thomas watches as a naked virgin rides a horse, which is meant to stumble upon reaching the grave of a vampire.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
-
The Christmas story is about a virgin offering the sacrifice of her own body to bring the Savior into the world.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
After a physical altercation, the men set the home ablaze — with her inside — and escaped with a green safe, a Beretta handgun, an AK-47-style rifle, jade figurines and 2,000 rounds of ammunition, the FBI said.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
-
The home’s only inhabitants now are the small green lizards that dart up and down its gray concrete walls.—
Ben Wieder,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
In 1994, Hezbollah struck a private Jewish community center, the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association building in Buenos Aires, murdering 85 innocents and injuring another 300.—
Nina Turner,
Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2024
-
Not just for Price but for the innocents who perished during the conflicts, some by her actions.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
22 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Some species of birds will feign a broken wing to draw a predator away from their fledglings.—
Harvey Whitehouse,
WIRED,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Some Syrians fear that Israel is taking advantage of Syria's fledgling government to make a land grab.—
Hadeel Al-Shalchi,
NPR,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The author came to Canada from England in 1923 as a 23-year-old greenhorn.—
Anton Money,
Outdoor Life,
15 Aug. 2024
-
Hence the herring, every greenhorn’s rite of passage on the Wizard.—
Ashley Boucher,
EW.com,
11 June 2024
Noun
-
The booth, in the lobby of a new arena adjacent to the sheep barn, will open daily by lunch until the rodeo starts, along with other Stock Show restaurants, concessions and vendors.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2025
-
So, what makes alpaca wool different from Merino wool (a kind of sheep wool)?—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
According to the Associated Press, the colt's third owner is Jill Baffert, the wife of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Forms a treasured bond with a spunky colt named Pinto Bean.—
Alex Baia,
The New Yorker,
19 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near naïf
Cite this Entry
“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share