— naively , adv. — naiveness , n.
/nah eev"/ , adj.
1. having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
2. having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: She's so naive she believes everything she reads. He has a very naive attitude toward politics.
3. having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique: valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
4. not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.
Also, naïve .
[ 1645-55; naïf, OF naif natural, instinctive nativus NATIVE ]
Syn. 1. simple, unaffected, unsuspecting, artless, guileless, candid, open, plain.
Ant. 1. sophisticated, artful.