Your definition of naïve is?

Question

Wait a sec.... I thought naive was a person who believed in just about anything that was told to him/her.

In the dictionary it says "simple and straightforward in one's way of thinking, speaking etc".

That sounds far from the truth. That word gets thrown around far too often to have such a harsh meaning. Am I completely wrong in my definition?

Answer 1

I would say your original idea of what naive meant is the one most commonly accepted. See #2 below.

Dictionary.com says:
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.

Answer 2

Actually you are right in your definition. The word 'naive' is a synonym for the word 'gullible'. (A synonym is a word that has a similar meaning to another word)

There's a couple of definitions of being naive. It means having a lack of worldly experience and understanding; having a lack of sophistication and critical judgment; and not having previously been subjected to something or not having experienced something.

So I guess which definition of *naive* is used just depends on the different situation or circumstance.

Myst

Answer 3

Naive person also sees the world as if looking through "pink sunglasses". And it's true that he would take everything for granted. He/she usually have little life experience.

Answer 4

for example: i would be naive in thinking that im going to win the lottery in my lifetime. gullible is when u believe just about anything.

Answer 5

in other words a simpleton...a not so bright or advanced person in knowledge or choice of words when talking..not necessarily stupid or dumb nor even ignorant...could be a little slow or behind the times as they say...wow..this whole paragraph is full of cliches...any how..i hope i helped a little..beam me up einstein...P.S...compaired to him <<< we are all naive...

Answer 6

umm thats gullible,
i think naive is like u dont know much
kinda like innocent
but iono just oblivious to things

Answer 7

your definition corresponds with the dictionary def. because if you're thinking simply, you're bound to believe anything, right? my definition is someone that lacks experience, therefore lacks wisdom.

Answer 8

you are right in your definition
there is more than one definition of any given word

Answer 9

innocent, virginal, gullible, happily simple minded, literal

Answer 10

NAIVE IS STUPID OR INNOCENT...