naivete

noun

na·​ive·​te nä-ˌēv-ˈtā How to pronounce naivete (audio)
-ˌē-və-;
nä-ˈēv-ˌtā,
-ˈē-və-;
nī-
variants or naïveté or less commonly naiveté
1
: a naive remark or action
The farce is noted for its ridiculous acts and naïvetés.
2
: the quality or state of being naive
His account sometimes displays a gee-whiz naivetéGregory McNamee

Examples of naivete in a Sentence

her naïveté led her to leave her new car unlocked while she shopped at the mall though he was streetwise, the investigative reporter regularly assumed an air of naïveté when he was interviewing confidence men, charlatans, counterfeiters, and other assorted swindlers of the general public
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Perhaps the spectacle of naivete is all part of the Altman image. Allison Morrow, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024 So Americans who don't travel, who 80 percent don't have a passport, who are uneducated, are in their extraordinary naivete. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024 The naivete is challenging to understand when attackers use virtually every standard tool—from hardware and software to cloud resources—to conduct their operations. Denis Mandich, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Anderson plays Shelley with a consummate sweetness that sometimes registers as naivete. Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 7 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for naivete 

Word History

Etymology

French naïveté, from Old French, inborn character, from naif

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of naivete was in 1673

Dictionary Entries Near naivete

Cite this Entry

“Naivete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naivete. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

naïvete

noun
na·​ïve·​te
variants also naivete
(ˌ)nä-ˌēv(-ə)-ˈtā,
nä-ˈēv(-ə)-tā
1
: the quality or state of being naive
2
: a naive remark or action

More from Merriam-Webster on naivete

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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