blameless

[ bleym-lis ]

adjective

1. free from or not deserving blame; guiltless:

   a blameless child.

   Synonyms: irreproachable

   Antonyms: guilty

blameless

/ ˈbleɪmlɪs /

adjective

1. free from blame; innocent

Derived Forms

• ˈblamelessness, noun
• ˈblamelessly, adverb

Other Words From

• blameless·ly adverb
• blameless·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of blameless¹

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

Synonym Study

See innocent.

Example Sentences

Their empresses appear in different guises, from sexual predators to blameless paragons.

From Time

Yet some observers say the battery-makers aren’t blameless either.

From Time

I’ve seen more than my share of relatives who ignore boundaries, though, and indeed “force parents’ hands” on limiting gifts — so I’m not declaring anyone blameless, at least not without more information.

From Washington Post

The city had insisted during the case that the officers were blameless, and they ended up facing no significant punishment.

From ProPublica

We are all blameless when a plague descends, but we all have a role in ending it.

From Time

She is as blameless and unthreatening as possibly can be, but barely human.

From The Daily Beast

No side is pure or blameless in such a complex conflict, which is what makes it seem intractable.

From The Daily Beast

The targets were in fact a group of eminently blameless teens who had just taken final exams.

From The Daily Beast

To be sure, neither Toyota nor BP are blameless Lilies-of-the-Valley in these messes.

From The Daily Beast

I never suggested that the Palestinians were blameless, or even that it is realistic to establish a Palestinian state tomorrow.

From The Daily Beast

Children, and the building of a city shall establish a name, but a blameless wife shall be counted above them both.

From Project Gutenberg

Elizabeth left the blameless victim of all this wrath, standing in the middle of the floor.

From Project Gutenberg

They will try to compel you to confession; and, though you are blameless, you will suffer the cruelest ordeal of transgression.

From Project Gutenberg

The men said unto her, we will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

From Project Gutenberg

Circumstances were discovered which seemed to indicate that Duncombe himself was not blameless.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Blameless

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.

Where does blameless come from?

The first records of the word blameless come from the 1300s. Blame comes from the Late Latin blasphēmāre, meaning “to blaspheme” (“to speak in a disrespectful way about God or other things considered sacred”). The suffix -less means “without” and is used to form adjectives.

The phrase without blame can be used as a synonym of blameless. The opposite of blameless is blameworthy, which is used to describe someone or something that deserves to be blamed for something or to receive criticism for having caused it. The word blameful means the same thing as blameworthy but is less commonly used.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to blameless?

• blamelessness (noun)
• blame (verb, noun)

What are some synonyms for blameless?

• guiltless 
• inculpable
• innocent
• faultless

What are some words that share a root or word element with blameless? 

• blameworthy
• blameful
• blamable
• blamestorm
• blaspheme

 

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing blameless?

 

 

• guilty
• accuse
• fault
• at fault
• crime
• mistake
• error

How is blameless used in real life?

Blameless usually means “innocent,” but it’s typically in negative contexts—especially ones in which blame is being assigned or denied.

IOC president Thomas Bach is not blameless in the Russian doping fiasco, USA TODAY Sports' @nrarmour writes. https://t.co/88aAGO67cg

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) December 18, 2020

Sheryl Sandberg is hardly blameless for Facebook's mistakes, but notice that she is the one facing the firing line and not Mark Zuckerberg. He is unkillable, unfireable and untouchable and no amount of women leaning in is going to change that. https://t.co/CgHfazatyp

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) November 24, 2018

I sense this is what people find most shocking in what the judge said:

Manafort "lived an otherwise blameless life.”

— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) March 8, 2019

Try using blameless!

Is blameless used correctly in the following sentence?

“He is utterly blameless and has done nothing wrong.”