NAÏVE


Meaning of NAÏVE in English

I. adjective

also na·ive (ˈ)nä|ēv, (ˈ)nȧ|-, (ˈ)nī|-

( sometimes -er/-est )

Etymology: French naïve, feminine of naïf, from Old French naif inborn, native, natural, from Latin nativus native — more at native

1. : marked by simplicity, ingenuousness, artlessness:

a. : showing candor, freshness, and spontaneity unchecked by convention, social diffidence, or guile

when the experienced man speaks simply and wisely to the naïve girl — Gilbert Highet

b. : showing lack of worldly experience : innocent , simple

their naïve ignorance of life, hers and his, when they were first married — Arnold Bennett

the same naïve belief in an anthropomorphic Creator — H.L.Mencken

the naïvest person imaginable

c. : unsuspecting, credulous, and unwary about duplicity or distortion

the work exhibits a naïve acceptance of every kind of miracle — H.O.Taylor

2. : marked by lack of instruction, experience, perception, learning : exhibiting lack of analysis, subtlety, or depth by ready acceptance without consideration : unphilosophic

a little naïve to suppose that when really vital differences emerge, one nation or another is likely to abandon its position on the first interchange of views — J.F.Byrnes

Synonyms: see natural

II. noun

also naive “

( -s )

: a naïve person

III. adjective

or naive

1.

a. : not previously subjected to experimentation or to a particular experimental situation

experimentally naïve rats

b. : not having previously used a particular drug (as marijuana)

c. : not having been exposed previously to an antigen

naïve T cells

2.

a. : primitive 4d(1)

b. : produced by or as if by a self-taught artist

naïve murals

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.