guileless

adjective

ˈgī(-ə)l-ləs How to pronounce guileless (audio)
Definition of guilelessnext
as in unaffected
free from any intent to deceive or impress others she was an easygoing, guileless young woman who was comfortable just being herself

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of guileless But perhaps the performance that lingers most in our minds is that of Elliot Page, 39, who in just a few short scenes anchors the film with his guileless sincerity and righteous anger. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 July 2026 But her star rose and that joyful, beautiful, rather guileless young woman trying to stay cool in a hot city summer lives forever. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 1 June 2026 And yet the track that perhaps best represents Orange’s guileless spirit is the one tune here Presley didn’t write. — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026 Five goals down at half-time, the Azerbaijani champions were hapless and guileless, incapable of delaying or deflecting Gordon’s acceleration and utterly without attacking merit until the game was yanked far beyond them. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guileless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guileless
  1. unaffected
  2. genuine
  3. honest
  4. innocent
  5. simple
  6. true
  7. naive
Adjective
  • Researchers have long wondered why some people develop these reactions while others seem to skate by unaffected.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Today, Putin follows essentially the same model, seeking to erode allies’ confidence in NATO’s Article 5 by relying on tactics that fall below the threshold of a conventional warfare and leave unaffected members hesitant to respond.
    — Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of unaffected
Adjective
  • As such, the greatest obstacle to genuine transformation is getting stuck in the planning cycle.
    — Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Notably, the new action comes about a month after UMG had sued DistroKid in September, claiming the company has helped empower bad actors to upload AI slop songs at mass scale, diluting the royalty pool for genuine artists.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of genuine
Adjective
  • Jones turned in a yeoman's effort, going 22-35 for 155 passing yards and two touchdowns while also keeping the Longhorn defense honest with his legs.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • In McDonnell, his supporters say, the mayor has an honest and principled leader who has managed to steady a department beset by low morale, dwindling staffing levels and aging facilities.
    — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of honest
Adjective
  • More than 150 innocent civilians were also killed in those strikes, according to a report released by the Pentagon this August.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In England, poet William Cowper portrayed Mai as an innocent corrupted by European society.
    — Saar Shahar, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of innocent
Adjective
  • The best power pop is simple, direct, and memorable, in both words and sound.
    — Jeff Yerger, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The lack of close coordination between these simple details undermines the structure’s coherence and intent.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of simple
Adjective
  • An invite-only Rocket Variant replaces standard features with a single-seat configuration and perimeter thrusters for true flight, rendering it non-road-legal.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The counter-argument that these groups already get the same knowledge from Iran, which gets it from China, Russia, and North Korea, is largely true.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of true
Adjective
  • Sutskever is portrayed as the idealistic, naive hero — the ingenious mind behind the lab’s entire existence who can’t stomach lying and is reluctant to accumulate any power.
    — Hayden Field, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rebecca and Verity, which stars Johnson, are also about a new, naïve lover entering the home of a bad man with a wife hidden in his house of horrors.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of naive

Browse Nearby Words

guilefulness
guileless
guilelessly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Guileless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guileless. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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