innocent

American  

[in-uh-suhnt] / ˈɪn ə sənt /

adjective

1. free from moral wrong; without sin; pure.

   innocent children.

   Synonyms:

   immaculate, spotless, impeccable, faultless, virtuous, sinless

   Antonyms:

   guilty

2. free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless.

   innocent of the crime.

   Antonyms:

   guilty

3. not involving evil intent or motive.

   an innocent misrepresentation.

4. not causing physical or moral injury; harmless.

   innocent fun.

5. devoid (usually followed byof ).

   a law innocent of merit.

6. having or showing the simplicity or naiveté of an unworldly person; guileless; ingenuous.

   Synonyms:

   artless, unsophisticated, naive, simple

7. uninformed or unaware; ignorant.

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noun

innocents plural

1. an innocent person.

2. a young child.

3. a guileless person.

4. a simpleton or idiot.

5. (used with a singular verb) Usually innocents. bluet.

innocent British  

/ ˈɪnəsənt /

adjective

1. not corrupted or tainted with evil or unpleasant emotion; sinless; pure

2. not guilty of a particular crime; blameless

3. free (of); lacking

   innocent of all knowledge of history

4. 1. harmless or innocuous

      an innocent game

   2. not cancerous

      an innocent tumour

5. credulous, naive, or artless

6. simple-minded; slow-witted

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noun

1. an innocent person, esp a young child or an ingenuous adult

2. a simple-minded person; simpleton

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quasi-innocent
  adjective
• superinnocent
  adjective
• uninnocent
  adjective
• innocently
  adverb
• quasi-innocently
  adverb
• superinnocently
  adverb
• uninnocently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• innocents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of innocent

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Latin innocent- (stem of innocēns ) “harmless,” equivalent to in- in- ³ + nocēns present participle of nocēre “to harm”; see -ent; cf. noxious

Explanation

You may think your fluffy white cat is just an innocent, or harmless, little kitty, but she shows no mercy when attacking that toy mouse. Innocent is an adjective that describes someone or something that is not harmful or at least doesn’t cause harm on purpose. It can also be used when talking about a person who did not commit a crime. “Innocent until proven guilty” is a phrase that means people who have been accused of a crime should be considered innocent, or free of blame, unless a judge or jury decides that they are officially guilty.

Example Sentences

“That’s not an innocent mistake, or random mistake,” Chris Murray told the justices.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2026

Not to give away our strategy, but we want to draw him in, because then he’s not hurting anybody else for a few minutes or spreading more ridiculous lies about innocent people.

From Slate • Jul. 12, 2026

“We are going to keep having innocent Americans killed because they have no idea what’s been placed into their car,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

One pointed out that the children's adoptions had been approved based on government officers' recommendations, and that the adoptive parents "are innocent parties that have done every step in accordance with the law".

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

I tell them about a girl who was just like me: shy, quiet, innocent.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• honest
• legitimate
• pure
• uninvolved
• virtuous