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definitions

innocent

[in-uh-suhnt]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR innocent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

noun

Origin of innocent

1150–1200; Middle English < Latin innocent- (stem of innocēns) harmless, equivalent to in- in-3 + nocēns present participle of nocēre to harm; see -ent; cf. noxious
Related formsin·no·cent·ly, adverbqua·si-in·no·cent, adjectivequa·si-in·no·cent·ly, adverbsu·per·in·no·cent, adjectivesu·per·in·no·cent·ly, adverbun·in·no·cent, adjectiveun·in·no·cent·ly, adverb
Can be confusedacquitted innocent nolo contendere (see synonym study at the current entry)innocence innocents

Synonyms for innocent

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR innocent ON THESAURUS.COM
1. sinless, virtuous; faultless, impeccable, spotless, immaculate. 2. Innocent, blameless, guiltless imply freedom from the responsibility of having done wrong. Innocent may imply having done no wrong at any time, and having not even a knowledge of evil: an innocent victim. Blameless denotes freedom from blame, especially moral blame: a blameless life. Guiltless denotes freedom from guilt or responsibility for wrongdoing, usually in a particular instance: guiltless of a crime. 6. simple, naive, unsophisticated, artless.

Antonyms for innocent

1, 2. guilty.

Innocent I

[in-uh-suh nt]

noun

Saint,died a.d. 417, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 401–417.

Innocent II

noun

Gregorio Papareschi, died 1143, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1130–43.

Innocent III

noun

Giovanni Lotario de' Conti, 1161?–1216, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1198–1216.

Innocent IV

noun

Sinbaldo de Fieschi, c1180–1254, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1243–54.

Innocent V

noun

Pierre de Tarentaise, c1225–76, French ecclesiastic: pope 1276.

Innocent VI

noun

Étienne Aubert, died 1362, French jurist and ecclesiastic: pope 1352–62.

Innocent VII

noun

Cosimo de' Migliorati, 1336–1406, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1404–06.

Innocent VIII

noun

Giovanni Battista Cibò, 1432–92, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1484–92.

Innocent IX

noun

Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti, 1519–91, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1591.

Innocent X

noun

Giambattista Pamfili, 1574–1655, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1644–55.

Innocent XI

noun

Benedetto Odescalchi, 1611–89, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1676–89.

Innocent XII

noun

Antonio Pignatelli, 1615–1700, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1691–1700.

Innocent XIII

noun

Michelangelo Conti, 1655–1724, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1721–24.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for innocent

virtuous, pure, legitimate, uninvolved, honest, gullible, ignorant, innocuous, childlike, wide-eyed, good, virginal, stainless, clear, safe, guiltless, clean, upright, square, simple

Examples from the Web for innocent

Contemporary Examples of innocent

Historical Examples of innocent

  • Emilia looked as innocent as when Hope had tended her in the cradle.

    Malbone

    Thomas Wentworth Higginson

  • How will every look, every action, even the most innocent, be liable to misconstruction!

    Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • See what grave reflections an innocent subject will produce!

    Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • But she is young and innocent, and her heart is her own yet.

    Viviette

    William J. Locke

  • It don't do 'em any good, but just the same they all swear they're innocent.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

British Dictionary definitions for innocent

innocent

adjective

not corrupted or tainted with evil or unpleasant emotion; sinless; pure
not guilty of a particular crime; blameless
(postpositive foll by of) free (of); lackinginnocent of all knowledge of history
  1. harmless or innocuousan innocent game
  2. not cancerousan innocent tumour
credulous, naive, or artless
simple-minded; slow-witted

noun

an innocent person, esp a young child or an ingenuous adult
a simple-minded person; simpleton
Derived Formsinnocently, adverb

Innocent II

noun

original name Gregorio Papareschi. died 1143, pope (1130–43). He condemned Abelard's teachings

Innocent III

noun

original name Giovanni Lotario de' Conti. ?1161–1216, pope (1198–1216), under whom the temporal power of the papacy reached its height. He instituted the Fourth Crusade (1202) and a crusade against the Albigenses (1208), and called the fourth Lateran Council (1215)

Innocent IV

noun

original name Sinibaldo de' Fieschi. died 1254, pope (1243–54); an unrelenting enemy of Emperor Frederick II and his heirs
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for innocent
adj.

mid-14c., "doing no evil, free from sin or guilt," from Old French inocent "harmless; not guilty; pure" (11c.), from Latin innocentem (nominative innocens) "not guilty, harmless, blameless," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + nocentem (nominative nocens), present participle of nocere "to harm" (see noxious). Meaning "free from guilt of a specific crime or charge" is from late 14c. The earliest use was as a noun, "person who is innocent of sin or evil" (c.1200). The Holy Innocents (early 14c.) were the young children slain by Herod sfter the birth of Jesus (Matt. ii:16).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
innocent in Medicine

innocent

[ĭn′ə-sənt]

adj.

Not apparently harmful; benign.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.