faux-naïf

[ foh-nah-eef ]

adjective

1. marked by a pretense of simplicity or innocence; disingenuous.

noun

1. a person who shrewdly affects an attitude or pose of simplicity or innocence.

faux-naïf

/ fonaif /

adjective

1. appearing or seeking to appear simple and unsophisticated

   a faux-naïf narration

noun

1. a person who pretends to be naïve

Word History and Origins

Origin of faux-naïf¹

From French, dating back to 1940–45; faux, naive

Word History and Origins

Origin of faux-naïf¹

French: false naïve

Example Sentences

Featuring a largely PNW cast, this show includes compelling, faux-naïf tableaux by Michael Doyle and Wesley Younie, tufted wool wall hangings by Trisha Gilmore, sun-soaked paintings by Niki Keenan and magical realist works on paper by Christine Nguyen, who depicts herons, magpies, deer and cormorants on pelagic backdrops, luminous like starry skies.

From Seattle Times

This deliberate de-skilling, a faux-naïf embrace of “pure,” even childish expression, puts the work squarely in conversation with so-called outsider art, the bloody revolt of Henry Darger’s Vivian Girls in particular.

From New York Times

She paints a thick inky black-on-white, in a faux-naïf pastiche of East and West.

From New York Times

Stettheimer is beloved for her ultrafeminine faux-naïf style, expressed in richly detailed paintings that often featured her circle of friends, including the artist Marcel Duchamp, the writer Carl Van Vechten, and the sculptor Elie Nadelman.

From New York Times

The strength of her voice lies in the faux-naïf lens through which she filters her dark view of humankind: We earthlings are sad, truncated bots, shuffling through the world in a dream of confusion.

From New York Times