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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or naif
as in virgin
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of naïf
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 July 2025
David himself is a generic naif whose sole distinguishing trait is a passion for music, curiously sung in unsubtitled Hebrew while the spoken dialogue is in English.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 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
Both stand in stark contrast to the naif played by Daniela Komędera, who enjoys any prompts for activities and appears glad to be relieved of any opportunity to have to think for herself.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
David himself is a generic naif whose sole distinguishing trait is a passion for music, curiously sung in unsubtitled Hebrew while the spoken dialogue is in English.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 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
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
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
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
Adjective
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
David himself is a generic naif whose sole distinguishing trait is a passion for music, curiously sung in unsubtitled Hebrew while the spoken dialogue is in English.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 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
Both stand in stark contrast to the naif played by Daniela Komędera, who enjoys any prompts for activities and appears glad to be relieved of any opportunity to have to think for herself.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
David himself is a generic naif whose sole distinguishing trait is a passion for music, curiously sung in unsubtitled Hebrew while the spoken dialogue is in English.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Feb. 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
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
Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
Noun
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naïf
Adjective
-
Even Portugal, who have been naive defensively but have considerable pace in attack, could threaten in transition, and Italy will need to shore up that element of their game to avoid being caught out.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
-
How did an obscure, scientifically naive mining society discover the wheel, when highly advanced civilizations, such as the ancient Egyptians, did not?—
Kai James,
JSTOR Daily,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
But one vivid, if unlikely, detail has endured: Her traveling companions were some 11,000 virgins.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The colonized lands are conceptualized of as virgin or empty, or populated by savages and barbarians who amount to less-than-human types who must make way for the settlers.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
Hibiscus plants add tropical flair to summer gardens with their large, showy flowers and glossy green foliage.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 July 2025
-
The result: a smooth, green sauce that’s beaming with fragrant summer flavor. Stash a batch in your fridge to instantly jazz up anything the pesto touches.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
In Fitzgerald’s novel, the wealthy socialite who runs down Myrtle escapes all responsibility, while two additional innocents end up dead.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
27 June 2025
-
That’s been another disgraceful indignity visited upon the victims of terrorists: the support on American campuses for those behind attacks on innocents in Israel.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
Schumer marveled at the camera sweeping from the golden fields to the blue sky, symbolizing the fledgling Superman’s look toward the future.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
-
Set to open its doors in 2026, the future Wisconsin Film Office has a business side to its pitch – but Deming describes more of a seed fund for a fledgling indie film scene.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
Flecks of mica and pyrite and who knows what, but only fools and greenhorns mistake it for gold.—
John Archibald,
Southern Living,
25 May 2025
-
The indestructible Gill, still strolling the fairways of the magazine, was more than welcoming to a greenhorn.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
Gone is the usual array of synthetic materials, replaced with more natural alternatives like a flax-composite shell, corn furniture and sheep's wool upholstery.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 July 2025
-
Some of the fields clearly show the benefit of the sheep’s rotational grazing and fertilizing.—
Helen Whybrow
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
The strapping colt took to the track at Pimlico for the first time Thursday morning, galloping a mile under exercise rider Nick Merritt.—
Stephen Whyno,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2025
-
Unleashed like a locomotive at the top of the stretch at Churchill Downs and Saratoga Race Course, this hard-closing colt ran past the front runners with relative ease.—
Danny Brewer,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Naïf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/na%C3%AFf. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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