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What is a word for someone who is experienced and wise, but who deliberately acts naïve?

I don’t intend it for sarcastic use; I’m trying to describe someone succeeding in making people think that that person truly is naïve.

Is there a word for this?

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14  
I believe the term is "Ashton Kutcher" – zzzzBov Oct 6 '11 at 13:21
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tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ObfuscatingStupidity I apologize for your lost productivity – Alex Brault Oct 6 '11 at 17:00
"Golddigger"??? – RBarryYoung Oct 7 '11 at 4:42
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Troll seems to fit ;) – artifex Oct 7 '11 at 7:24
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@AlexBrault. I saw the question title and came here to post that link. +1 for preempting me. – TRiG Oct 7 '11 at 17:21
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13 Answers

up vote 52 down vote accepted

I’d probably go for disingenuous: “Assuming a pose of naïveté to make a point or for deception.”

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18  
Disingenuous is a great word, but by itself it just means insincere. You would need context to understand that it's meant to mean insincerely naive. – onomatomaniak Oct 6 '11 at 13:10
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I agree with @onomatomaniak. I don't like disingenuously naif, but disingenuous naivete works for me. – lonesomeday Oct 6 '11 at 18:20
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@Andrew: Welcome to ELU, and thanks for the great answer! +1 – Daniel δ Oct 6 '11 at 20:43
This is what I was going to post, so +1 from me. – Maxpm Oct 10 '11 at 4:07
up vote 47 down vote

Feigned ignorance is an expression used when someone pretends to be uninformed or unknowledgeable about something.

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up vote 29 down vote

You could call them faux naïf.

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This is accurate but somehow still sounds quite awkward to me. – onomatomaniak Oct 6 '11 at 11:12
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To be precise it should be naïf – nico Oct 6 '11 at 11:18
And what's that letter called in between the 'a' and the 'f'? – Mark Oct 6 '11 at 11:31
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It is an "i" with diaeresis. The diaeresis is a mark to indicate that a new syllable begins. So it is Na-if, pronounced verys similarly to "naive" in english. – Ben Oct 6 '11 at 11:53
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@nico: I edited the word to make myself happy. – Daniel δ Oct 6 '11 at 12:20
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up vote 20 down vote

I would go with "Lt. Columbo".

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I like it! Probably there were other murder-mystery detectives who also used this technique. – GEdgar Oct 6 '11 at 16:02
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Nice. This will probably work on anyone born prior to 1982. :) – mskfisher Oct 6 '11 at 18:19
@GEdgar: Well there is Shawn Spencer. – Lucas McCoy Oct 7 '11 at 8:02
You don't think Shawn really is that lazy? – GEdgar Oct 7 '11 at 14:37
Poirot used that device on occasion -- mostly taking advantage of English scorn for foreigners – Kathy Van Stone Oct 7 '11 at 17:46
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up vote 10 down vote

Depending on the context, you could consider hustler. This is the exact and precise word to use if someone is playing pool for money: they pretend to barely know the game, even lose a few small bets to you, then make a big bet and win dramatically. However, the word hustler has some other meanings, so if you try to apply to some context other than playing pool for money, it might be misinterpreted.

If the person’s reason for hiding their wisdom and experience is not to con or hustle you, then there is probably not a good single word for it. False, artificial, feigned or fake1 innocence, inexperience, or naïveté are probably the phrases you could use.

  1. Or faux, if saying it in French appeals to you.
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+1 for clarifying the appropriateness based on context. I also used hustler in my response to this similar question. – ajk Oct 6 '11 at 16:08
up vote 9 down vote

Coy - artfully or affectedly shy or reserved; slyly hesitant; coquettish.

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up vote 7 down vote

The phrase a wolf in sheep's clothing may apply here. It refers to someone who pretends to be harmless and/or innocent when, in fact, they are not. It describes someone with an ulterior motive.

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up vote 6 down vote

I've hunted around a bit and found that "false naivety" is a common phrase for this. I haven't found a single word that has the same meaning however.

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up vote 6 down vote

playing dumb

Defined in wiktionary.org as:

(idiomatic) To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.

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up vote 4 down vote

A disingenue, particularly if you are intending to use this to describe a girl. Disingenuous is close, but not quite satisfactory. It does not denote a discrimination of its object, which would be a girl who attempts to appear innocent. This is the opposite of an ingenue, defined as an "innocent, unworldly girl".

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up vote 1 down vote

This person is more commonly known as a "player".

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up vote 1 down vote

Perhaps sandbagger would also be appropriate.

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nice, +1, thanks – Arjang Oct 8 '11 at 1:48
up vote 1 down vote

A darker definition is duplicitous which, whilst you may not associate it with the normal meaning and context for wise, could certainly describe the act of deceitful naivety.

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