Meanings
plural babes in the woods · alternative babe in the wood
- idiomaticA person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless, especially with respect to an unfamiliar situation or environment.
Taylor is aware of the perception that he is the innocent, exploitable babe in the woods of the Geelong defence.
2008, Jake Niall, "‘Weakest link’ no more, Harry shows he's tailor-made," The Age (Australia), 8 Sep. (retrieved 23 May 2009)1 more example
"Orde, you're all right on the river," said Newmark, with a dry little laugh, "but you're a babe in the woods at this game."
1908, Stewart Edward White, chapter 11, in The RivermanSynonyms: sweet summer child, ingenue, innocent, naif
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless, especially with respect to an unfamiliar situation or environment.
Origin
From the ballad "The Children in the Wood".
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
babe in the woods. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/babe%20in%20the%20woods
“babe in the woods.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/babe%20in%20the%20woods. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “babe in the woods,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/babe%20in%20the%20woods.
Source: babe in the woods on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.