Difference Between Naive and Innocent

September 2022 · 5 minute read

There are various types of human beings with totally different behavior. Some of them are clever, some of them are gullible while a large number of them are indifferent. A person’s image is made of his behavior and instinct. Naive and innocent are the two terms referred to as such human behaviors.

Naive vs Innocent

The main difference between Naive and Innocent is that a person is Naive when lacks the experience of the world or when he’s simply new to something while a person can be known as innocent if he hasn’t been active or involved in illegal activities and is free from sin, guilt, and any type of crime.

A person who does not have enough experience and who does not think a lot about happenings around him. Naive refers to a person who believes anything or anyone easily. This is the nature of a human being that could get him into trouble. Being Naive is not ideal for several situations.

A person who hasn’t done anything wrong or illegal is known as innocent. Someone who is not involved in activities considered to be illegal such as crime, war, conspiracy, and fraudulent is described as an innocent person. It can be also the basic nature of someone. To survive in this world, a person is suggested not to be too innocent.

Comparison Table Between Naive and Innocent

Parameters Of ComparisonNaiveInnocent
MeaningSomeone who is lacking knowledge and wisdom of everyday tasks is known to be the ‘Naive’.Someone who has obtained freedom from sinful acts and proved himself clean is known as an innocent person.
ViewsNaive is an instinct of a human being that comes with birth and not by other means.Some illegal and unlawful acts can make a person guilty. A person can not be innocent by birth.
TraitInnocent is a characteristic of a person who is not driven by malicious intentions to commit wrongful acts.Naive is a characteristic of a person who sees the world without taint and accepts things as they are.
ConditionThe other condition of being Naive is to be unconversant or new to something. In short, not having enough knowledge.The other condition of being innocent is not being corrupted. To be innocent, honesty is required.
SynonymsSome of the synonyms of Naive are gullible, simple, guileless, artless, callow, etc. There are many more other synonyms.Some of the synonyms of innocent are wholesome, guileless, sinless, blameless, righteous, decent, etc. There are also many other synonyms.

What is Naive?

A lack of enough experience in daily life can be referred to as the term ‘naive’. People of any age can be Naive. The other words used for naive are naïveté, naiveness, naivety, etc. It is a lack of attentiveness. When the language was still evolving, by ‘naive’ people meant a state of being ‘innocent and natural’. But naive never meant to be ineptitude.

In other words, a Naive person is not necessarily incompatible. Depending on the context, Naive can be both right or wrong behavior of a person. Naive people can assume a complicated situation, easy and easy situation, complicated. To describe naïveté, words like overlay trusting, immature, and unaware can be used.

Naive people trust others so early that they end being cheated on or deceived by others. But Naive people can not be referred to as ‘dimwit’. Naive people should travel more, read a lot, invade their comfort zone to experiment with new things, and most importantly, they should be more alert.

A naive person can feel guilty after believing someone too much. People are always ready to take advantage of those who are Naive to this vast world. So in many cases, naivety should be treated and cured like a disease.

What is Innocent?

The lack of guilt in the behavior of a person can be used to elaborate on the term ‘innocent’. Religiously, infants, lambs, and women are symbolized as innocent. In Christianity, Jesus Christ Himself has been known as the Lamb of God. A sinless act makes a person innocent.

Legally, a person who hasn’t committed a crime or hasn’t been involved in such activities is considered innocent. But just like being naive, not having enough experience of life and society is also known as being innocent. The term innocent is a little bit similar to ignorance but innocent is seen more positively.

Innocent people look at the world with an optimistic view. The capacity of the mind of innocent people doesn’t allow them to understand the nature of other activities. But it does not mean in any way that innocent people are generally stupid. Another meaning of ‘innocent’ can be known as the childhood innocence of little kids.

In particular cases, the meaning of the term ‘innocent’ can be offensive. The factor which is used to signify whether a person is innocent or not is his level of experience. In ancient times, virgin females were also considered innocent. Being active in forbidden activities makes a person less innocent.

Main Differences Between Naive and Innocent

  • The antonyms of naive are trained, rude, crude, well informed blasé while the antonyms of innocent are guileless, faultless, incorrupt, clean, etc.
  • Naive can be the instinct of a human being while the term ‘innocent’ is usually invaded by corrupted thoughts.
  • The deficiency of knowledge of the particular subject is known as the term ‘naive’ while lack of guilt in the behavior is known as the term ‘innocent’.
  • Malicious thoughts are necessary to erase the existence of the term ‘naive’ while faulty vision is accountable for not being innocent anymore.
  • The term ‘naive’ is more religious and psychological. On the other hand, the term ‘innocent’ is more logical and analytical.
  • Conclusion

    Naive and innocent are two such words that share many similarities. But if noticed, there are apparent differences between these two. In certain cases, they are even considered synonyms of each other. These are psychological traits of human beings that are equally elaborated by religion and laws as well.

    Some people are so gullible that they believe many things easily and clever people take advantage of it by framing them for something innocent people have no idea about. Such activities prove that both terms can be both positive and negative. Being Naive about negative things can be beneficial for a person. But it should be within limits because ignorance is the origin of unexpected troubles.

    References

  • https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bWu9DgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Naive&ots=7FHHoBh7b7&sig=qDGYOdZJhdxh0NzFlN1DXcWhgyo
  • https://infogalactic.com/info/Seduction_of_the_Innocent
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