naively
gb/nɑˈivli/ us/nɑˈivli/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
adverb
C1
property
1
In an innocent, trusting way
In a way that shows you trust too easily because you do not have much experience.
Usage pattern:
[someone] naively [does something]
Common mistake:
Often confused with similar-looking words like natively. Also note spelling: naively (not *navely*).
Synonyms
innocently (Emphasizes lack of bad intent more than lack of experience.)
|
gullibly (Stronger and more negative; suggests being easily fooled.)
|
trustingly (Focuses on trusting others rather than general inexperience.)
Antonyms
shrewdly (Shows practical intelligence and careful judgment.)
|
cynically (Assumes others have bad motives; the opposite of trusting.)
|
skeptically (Questions claims instead of accepting them easily.)
Collocations
naively assume
|naively believe
|naively trust
|naively accept
|naively think
|naively hope
|naively expect
|naively agree
|naively imagine
|naively optimistic
Themes
emotions
|social_life
|judgment
Examples
- She naively told him her password, thinking he was IT support.
- I naively trusted the online reviews and didn’t check the return policy.
- They naively believed the problem would fix itself if they ignored it.
Learner examples
- I naively believed him.
- She naively trusted a stranger.
adverb
C1
property
2
In an overly simple, unrealistic way
In a way that is too simple and not realistic because it ignores important facts.
Usage pattern:
naively [assume/expect/argue] (that) [clause]
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse naively where simply is better; naively usually implies the speaker thinks the idea is unrealistic or inexperienced.
Synonyms
simplistically (Focuses on making something too simple; less about innocence.)
|
overoptimistically (Highlights unrealistic hope rather than general simplification.)
|
unrealistically (Directly states the lack of realism, without implying inexperience.)
Antonyms
realistically (Takes practical limits and facts into account.)
|
nuancedly (Considers complexity and fine distinctions.)
|
carefully (Emphasizes attention to detail and risk.)
Collocations
naively assume that
|naively suppose that
|naively expect that
|naively argue that
|naively claim that
|naively equate
|naively model
|naively estimate
|naively treat
|naively simplify
Themes
thinking
|communication
|education
Examples
- The report naively assumes that demand will stay constant all year.
- It’s naïve to think you can cut costs without affecting quality; he naively ignored the trade-offs.
- She naively equated popularity with expertise.
Learner examples
- He naively assumed it was easy.
- They naively expected no delays.
adverb
technical
C2
property
3
Using a basic, non-optimized method
In a simple basic way (often in computing), without clever improvements.
Usage pattern:
naively [implement/compute/solve] [something]
Common mistake:
This technical sense is narrower than the everyday sense; it doesn’t always mean 'innocent'—it can mean 'basic' or 'unoptimized'.
Synonyms
straightforwardly (Neutral; does not necessarily imply poor quality or inexperience.)
|
brute-force (More specific: tries all possibilities; often inefficient.)
Antonyms
efficiently (Uses time/memory-saving methods.)
|
robustly (Handles edge cases and failures well.)
|
optimally (Achieves the best possible performance or result.)
Collocations
naively implement
|naively compute
|naively solve
|naively iterate
|naively compare
|naively search
|naively parse
|naively handle
|naively check
|naively loop
Themes
technology
|computing
|problem_solving
Examples
- If you naively implement this algorithm, it will be too slow for large inputs.
- The code naively assumes the data is already sorted.
- Naively computing each value separately wastes a lot of time.
Grammar
Dictionary form
naively
IPA
GB/nɑˈivli/
US/nɑˈivli/
Syllables & stress
na - ively (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ively)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: naively
- Plural: naivelies
Word family
Forms
naivelies
noun
Negative and opposite forms
sophisticated
adjective B2
worldly
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
naïveté
noun
Expressions
naively enough
1/nɑˈivli ɪnˈʌf/
fixed phrase
introducing a naive belief
Used when you say you believed something, but now you know it was naive.
Examples
- Naively enough, I thought the paperwork would take ten minutes.
- Naively enough, she believed the first offer was the best she could get.
- Naively enough, we assumed everyone had the same information.