blameless

American  

[bleym-lis] / ˈbleɪm lɪs /

adjective

1. free from or not deserving blame; guiltless.

   a blameless child.

   Synonyms:

   irreproachable

   Antonyms:

   guilty

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blameless British  

/ ˈbleɪmlɪs /

adjective

1. free from blame; innocent

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Usage

What does blameless mean? Blameless is used to describe someone who hasn’t done anything wrong—they haven’t done anything to be blamed for.To blame someone for something is to accuse them of having caused it or to hold them responsible for it. The word blame is always used in the context of something bad that happened—you don’t blame someone for something good. When someone is blamed for something, it doesn’t mean they are guilty of it—it simply means they are being accused of being guilty of it.However, the word blameless typically implies that a person is completely innocent. It’s often used in negative constructions to suggest the opposite.Example: Those who participated in the fraud should be held responsible, but those who knew about it and did nothing are not blameless.

Related Words

See innocent.

Other Word Forms

• blamelessly adverb
• blamelessness noun

Etymology

Origin of blameless

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; blame, -less

Example Sentences

In temperatures that touched 41 degrees at the Adelaide Oval, England crumbled to 213-8 in blameless batting conditions.

From BBC

That loyalty was a result of 32 blameless years of education and hard work.

From BBC

But had only one of two incidents for which he was entirely blameless not happened, he would easily have been champion.

From BBC

Michelle is fluent in the perky command, the passive voice, the slippery non-apology, the kind of language that frames cruelty as blameless happenstance.

From Los Angeles Times

The letter says that while the reasons for the problems are still debated, the "skilled and committed workforce is entirely blameless".

From BBC