variants also naïvety
chiefly British

Example 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 naivety Unlike many child actors, Wright isn’t precocious so much as devastatingly genuine in her peculiar blend of wisdom and naivety. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Feb. 2025 The show navigated the stars' early domestic lives, with Simpson's apparent naivety endearing her to viewers. John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025 Confronted with Prussia’s world-class public educational system and effective tariffs, the British elite fretted about the naivety of free trade and the quality of their country’s breeding stock. John Micklethwait, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2014 Sometimes, these declarations are the product of naivety; other times, it’s done for clicks. Henry McIntosh, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for naivety
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naivety
Noun
  • In November, Barrientos-Quintana — who always maintained his innocence and was never linked to the crime by any physical evidence — walked out of prison.
    Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Littlejohn maintained his innocence, though, claiming that his co-conspirator Glenn Bethany pulled the trigger.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • That’s been evident for a few weeks, but even Wells questioned Boone’s sincerity when the manager first approached him with the idea of batting first.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Bali observes Nyepi with absolute sincerity as even the island’s airport shuts down.
    Roger Sands, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • On the contrary, the narrative voice mixes naivete and disbelief.
    Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 27 Mar. 2025
  • One character starts with hope and naivete, and the other with the wisdom that comes from tough, life-altering experiences.
    Nick Jonas, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The filmmakers make easy work of granting them the agency to see their stories through, bucking a backdrop of ignorance to stand up to forces attempting to quiet the voices of impending revolution.
    Holly Jones, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Her courageous work in eastern Ukraine stands in direct contrast to Trump and Putin, who heap praise on each other and ignore the devastation to Ukraine, an ignorance that not even death and injury to women and children can penetrate.
    Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Naivety.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/naivety. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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