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What Do Double Entendres Mean?A double entendre is a subtle literary device that uses one statement to convey two very different meanings. Taken literally, a double entendre is usually an innocent statement that has no ironic or inappropriate overtones. Taken another way, the same statement often can mean something too indelicate to be said in polite company. A double entendre can also work in reverse, with an apparently dirty …
Nearby words
innit, innkeeper, innocence, innocency, innocense, innocent, innocent i, innocent i, saint, innocent ii, innocent iii, innocent iv
Origin of innocent
SYNONYMS FOR innocent
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.
Related forms
Can be confusedacquitted innocent nolo contendere (see synonym study at the current entry)innocence innocents
Definition for innocent (2 of 14)
Innocent I
[ in-uh-suh nt ]
/ ˈɪn ə sənt /
noun
Saint,died a.d. 417, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 401–417.
Definition for innocent (3 of 14)
Innocent II
noun
Gregorio Papareschi, died 1143, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1130–43.
Definition for innocent (4 of 14)
Innocent III
noun
Giovanni Lotario de' Conti, 1161?–1216, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1198–1216.
Definition for innocent (5 of 14)
Innocent IV
noun
Sinbaldo de Fieschi, c1180–1254, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1243–54.
Definition for innocent (6 of 14)
Innocent V
noun
Pierre de Tarentaise, c1225–76, French ecclesiastic: pope 1276.
Definition for innocent (7 of 14)
Innocent VI
noun
Étienne Aubert, died 1362, French jurist and ecclesiastic: pope 1352–62.
Definition for innocent (8 of 14)
Innocent VII
noun
Cosimo de' Migliorati, 1336–1406, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1404–06.
Definition for innocent (9 of 14)
Innocent VIII
noun
Giovanni Battista Cibò, 1432–92, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1484–92.
Definition for innocent (10 of 14)
Innocent IX
noun
Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti, 1519–91, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1591.
Definition for innocent (11 of 14)
Innocent X
noun
Giambattista Pamfili, 1574–1655, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1644–55.
Definition for innocent (12 of 14)
Innocent XI
noun
Benedetto Odescalchi, 1611–89, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1676–89.
Definition for innocent (13 of 14)
Innocent XII
noun
Antonio Pignatelli, 1615–1700, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1691–1700.
Definition for innocent (14 of 14)
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
Examples from the Web for innocent
British Dictionary definitions for innocent (1 of 4)
innocent
/ (ˈɪnəsənt) /
adjective
noun
an innocent person, esp a young child or an ingenuous adult
a simple-minded person; simpleton
Derived Formsinnocently, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for innocent (2 of 4)
Innocent II
noun
original name Gregorio Papareschi. died 1143, pope (1130–43). He condemned Abelard's teachings
British Dictionary definitions for innocent (3 of 4)
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)
British Dictionary definitions for innocent (4 of 4)
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
innocent
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
Medicine definitions for innocent
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.