naivety

noun

na·​ive·​ty nä-ˈē-və-tē 

-ˈēv-tē,

nī-

variants or less commonly naïvety

plural naiveties

chiefly British

: naïveté

If he compromised himself, then it was because of his political ignorance and naivety.

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

Synonyms

• artlessness
• greenness
• guilelessness
• ingenuousness
• innocence
• naiveness
• naïveté
• naivete
• naiveté
• naturalness
• simplemindedness
• simpleness
• simplicity
• unsophistication
• unworldliness
• viridity

Examples of naivety in a Sentence

the contention that the royal family took advantage of the young Diana's naivety

Recent Examples on the Web

To the everyday sort of life, these are empty, almost useless ingredients for anything else, but to create in, to write in, idle time, free time, even boredom, and naivety are really important and can be so powerful. —Steve Baltin, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024

But there’s also a childish naivety to it: there’s nothing clever about the way James conducted himself in Dominik’s film. —Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024

Hilmar plays Jónas’ closest partner, who plans to use Jónas’ naivety to build her own escape from their overlord. —John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Aug. 2024

Many on the right like to laugh at Kennedy’s naivety, saying berliner commonly refers to a jelly donut in West Berlin. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1708, in the meaning defined above