naive

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. ingenuous, unsophisticated, unworldly, artless. See simpleness, credulity. Ant., knowing, sophisticated.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

Syn. ingenuous, artless, unsophisticated, unaffected, innocent, simple, inexperienced, untrained, countrified, callow, jeJune, naïf (French), natural, unschooled, ignorant, untaught, provincial, unworldly, guileless, spontaneous, instinctive, impulsive, simple-minded, innocuous, unsuspecting, harmless, confiding, childlike, gullible, credulous, trusting, fresh, unjaded, original, rustic, boorish, unpolished, primitive, sincere, unfeigned, open, candid, forthright, aboveboard, Romantic, fanciful, unpretentious, transparent, unsuspicious, straightforward, uncomplicated, easily imposed upon, green*; see also childish 1 , frank , inexperienced , simple 1 .

Ant. experienced*, sophisticated, artful.

Syn.- naive implies a genuine, innocent simplicity or lack of artificiality, but sometimes connotes an almost foolish lack of worldly wisdom [ his naive belief in the kindness of others ] ; ingenuous implies a frankness or straightforwardness that suggests the simplicity of a child [ her ingenuous confession of her real motives ] ; artless suggests a lack of artificiality or guile that derives from indifference to the effect one has upon others [artless beauty ] ; unsophisticated , like naive , implies a lack of worldly wisdom but connotes that this is the result merely of a lack of experience [ simple, unsophisticated tastes ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

unsophisticated, innocent, unsuspecting, uneducated, simple, ingenuous, childlike, inexperienced, unseasoned, unworldly, unschooled, trusting, gullible, immature, *wet behind the ears.

ANT.: sophisticated, experienced, wise, worldly

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I or naïve also naif or naïf adjective 1. Free from guile, cunning, or deceit: artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, natural, simple, unaffected, unsophisticated, unstudied, unworldly. See HONEST. 2. Easily imposed on or tricked: credulous, dupable, easy, exploitable, gullible, susceptible. See WISE. II or naïve also naif or naïf noun A guileless, unsophisticated person: babe, child, ingenue, innocent. Idiom: babe in the woods. See KNOWLEDGE.