guileless

Thân thiện

A child offers a guileless smile to a friendly puppy.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Free of deceit; sincere and honest: Describes a person, their nature, or their actions as being without cunning, trickery, or the intent to deceive. It implies a natural innocence and straightforwardness.

Usage

• The word "guileless" is used to describe a person's character or demeanor. It is a formal or literary term that carries a positive connotation, suggesting purity of intention and a lack of hidden motives.
• It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "be" or "seem").

Examples

• Adjective:
  • Her guileless smile immediately put everyone at ease.
  • He was a guileless man who believed the best of everyone he met.
  • The child's guileless question revealed a simple truth the adults had overlooked.

Advanced Usage

• "to be guileless in one's dealings": to conduct oneself with complete honesty and without deception.
  • The old merchant was known to be guileless in his dealings, which earned him great trust.
• "with guileless charm": possessing an appealing quality that is naturally sincere and not calculated.
  • She won over the audience with her guileless charm.

Variants and Related Words

• Guile (noun): Sly or cunning intelligence used to deceive others. This is the root noun from which "guileless" is formed by adding the suffix "-less" (meaning "without").
  • He used guile and flattery to achieve his goals.
• Guilelessly (adverb): In a manner free of deceit.
  • She answered the difficult questions guilelessly.

Synonyms

• Artless: Free from artificiality; natural and simple.
• Ingenuous: Innocent and unsuspecting; showing childlike simplicity.
• Naive: Lacking experience, wisdom, or judgment; often implies being too trusting.
• Candid: Truthful and straightforward; frank.
• Sincere: Free from pretense or deceit; genuine in feeling.

Antonyms

• Deceitful: Guilty of or involving deceit; intended to mislead.
• Cunning: Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit.
• Sly: Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.
• Disingenuous: Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "As guileless as a child": A simile emphasizing extreme innocence and lack of deceit.
  • Despite his age and experience, he remained as guileless as a child in matters of the heart.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. free of deceit

Từ đồng nghĩa

• transparent