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

This is not to say that the pizza industry is entirely blameless for its imperiled status.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

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 • Oct. 23, 2025

Despite its contradictory history as a symbol of democracy built by enslaved people, it is a blameless externalization of America.

From Salon • Mar. 20, 2025

Only Ben Duckett, with 52, was blameless for his dismissal as England slumped from 56-0 to 118-6 before Smith’s impressive rescue act.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2024

It was rather like that Christmas morning sensation of being about to give a present that was bound to cause delight, a joyful feeling of blameless self-love.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan