# Is there a difference between naïve and gullible? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992 "2021-11-26T21:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/1 "2021-11-26T21:55:02Z")
I used naïve to describe someone earlier and then later in the conversation used the word gullible. Obviously the two words are similar but gullible sounds more insulting to me now that I think about it and that wasn’t my intent. What’s the difference to you? I’m not interested in dictionary definitions but in common usage. That’s why I put this in IMHO and not FQ. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/2 "2021-11-26T21:57:48Z")
I think that a naive person has not had the appropriate learning experiences while a gullible person has had the learning experiences–but has not learned from them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/3 "2021-11-26T21:58:11Z")
Naive is specifically about being inexperienced and unworldly. People whom I’d classify as “naive” tend to be some combination of young, sheltered, or just lacking in a lot of experience. Gullible, on the other hand is about being overly trusting, and easily fooled/taken advantage of. One might be gullible because one is _also_ naive, but one can also simply be gullible by being overly trusting, wanting to think the best of people, or having a faulty “BS meter,” despite being older and experienced (and, thus, no longer truly naive). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/4 "2021-11-26T21:59:56Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I’m not interested in dictionary definitions but in common usage. But “gullible” isn’t in the dictionary! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/5 "2021-11-26T22:00:56Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But “gullible” isn’t in the dictionary! I actually was able to successfully get a college friend (an English major, at that) to grab a dictionary and look it up, to prove to me that I was wrong about that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/6 "2021-11-26T22:13:54Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But “gullible” isn’t in the dictionary!. Good grief. You had me checking google to make sure I hadn’t spelled it wrong. I hate you. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/7 "2021-11-26T22:17:38Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Naive is specifically about being inexperienced and unworldly. People whom I’d classify as “naive” tend to be some combination of young, sheltered, or just lacking in a lot of experience. Gullible, on the other hand is about being overly trusting, and easily fooled/taken advantage of. > > One might be gullible because one is _also_ naive, but one can also simply be gullible by being overly trusting, wanting to think the best of people, or having a faulty “BS meter,” despite being older and experienced (and, thus, no longer truly naive). Yep. End of thread. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/8 "2021-11-26T22:35:52Z")
Yep, sort of like ignorant and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/9 "2021-11-27T01:29:22Z")
Yeah, I agree with @kenobi_65 . “Naive” evokes a feeling of doe-eyed innocence. A naive person need not be gullible. Gullibility deals with the ability to be easily duped. They can be related and there can be some overlap in the words, but they are not necessarily interchangable. For example, I could say, “When Jill was young and naive, she believed racism was a thing of the past” (or whatnot). “Gullible” wouldn’t really fit right there – it _can_ work, but _naive_ is a better word to convey not so much that she was tricked and easily led to believe racism was not still present, but rather that she was too young and inexperienced and perhaps sheltered to realize all the racism that was around. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/10 "2021-11-27T01:36:44Z")
I’d say the issue is that, the more you should be acquainted with the issue, the more naivete also implies gullibility. For things which are ubiquitous in society, that means that, the older the person is, the more their naivete is associated with gullibility. That, in order to remain so innocent, they must be tricked. I’ve seen “naive” used as an insult plenty of times, and, in that context, it always means something very similar to “gullible.” You might even describe it as a euphemism for that word. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/11 "2021-11-27T02:14:27Z")
Sure, in many cases the words cross over, and the way you describe it sounds pretty correct to me. Also, to me _naïve_ carry notions of perhaps rosy optimism – a counter viewpoint to a jaded cynic. Like I might say a sentence (going off my last example) like “You must be totally naive to think the Georgia verdict shows that institutional racism is not a problem in modern America.” There, naive is a strong criticism, but “gullible”, IMHO, does not feel quite right there. Similarly, “Did you know the word naive is not in the dictionary” – at least for me – doesn’t work as well as using “gullible” there. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/12 "2021-11-27T02:16:45Z")
My main point was that this sort of thing may account for the misunderstanding described in the OP: they took “naive” to be a euphemism for “gullible” in the context they used it, when that was not the OP’s intent. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/13 "2021-11-27T02:18:45Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But “gullible” isn’t in the dictionary! Then why is it written on the ceiling? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/14 "2021-11-27T02:31:21Z")
At least naïve has the associated noun _naïf_ to describe sufferers. No such luck with gullible. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/15 "2021-11-27T02:36:31Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > > But “gullible” isn’t in the dictionary!. > > Good grief. You had me checking google to make sure I hadn’t spelled it wrong. > > I hate you. Gullible > [@MoonMoon](#): > > Yep. End of thread. Naïve 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/16 "2021-11-27T02:49:12Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > > [@MoonMoon](#): > > > > Yep. End of thread. > > Naïve :: slow clap:: ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/17 "2021-11-27T03:04:37Z")
My youngest son was very naive at 20. Today at nearly 43 he’s incredibly gullible. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/18 "2021-11-27T03:13:33Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I think that a naive person has not had the appropriate learning experiences while a gullible person has had the learning experiences–but has not learned from them. If we’re going with common usage and general impressions rather than formal definitions, I’d go along with this. To put it bluntly and succinctly, “naive” is curable; “gullible” is not. Kind of like the difference between “uninformed” and “stupid”. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/19 "2021-11-27T07:29:49Z")
Naive is thinking you’ll get a job in your field when you graduate. Gullible is playing the lottery. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992/20 "2021-11-27T11:22:26Z")
I hate it when I can’t find the citation, but I KNOW I’ve read at least one novel wherein the customers of a carnival midway were referred to as ‘the gulls’ because the shills and sharps working the pitches knew they would believe anything. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-difference-between-naive-and-gullible/954992.md?page=2)