“The 6-year-old is naive of any wrongdoing.”
Usage Entry 1414 / 1605 60-second read
Naïve vs. Innocent
Lacking experience or sophistication versus blameless.
The comparisoni
“The 6-year-old is innocent of any wrongdoing — INNOCENT means not guilty. NAÏVE means inexperienced or trusting in a way that invites being deceived.”
The ruleii
¶
NAÏVE = unworldly. INNOCENT = blameless.
NAÏVE (French naïf) means lacking sophistication, easy to deceive — neutral or mildly negative. INNOCENT means without guilt or harm. A naïve adult is sometimes called "an innocent" but the words aren't synonyms.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Naïve = green. Innocent = clean.