innocent

[ in-uh-suhnt ]

/ ˈɪn ə sənt /

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See synonyms for: innocent / innocents / innocently on Thesaurus.com

adjective

free from moral wrong; without sin; pure: innocent children.

free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless: innocent of the crime.

not involving evil intent or motive: an innocent misrepresentation.

not causing physical or moral injury; harmless: innocent fun.

devoid (usually followed by of): a law innocent of merit.

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

uninformed or unaware; ignorant.

noun

an innocent person.

a young child.

a guileless person.

a simpleton or idiot.

Usually innocents. (used with a singular verb) bluet (def. 1).

OTHER WORDS FOR innocent

1 sinless, virtuous; faultless, impeccable, spotless, immaculate.

6 simple, naive, unsophisticated, artless.

See synonyms for innocent on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR innocent

1, 2 guilty.

See antonyms for innocent on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

synonym study 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM innocent

in·no·cent·ly, adverbqua·si-in·no·cent, adjectivequa·si-in·no·cent·ly, adverbsu·per·in·no·cent, adjective

su·per·in·no·cent·ly, adverbun·in·no·cent, adjectiveun·in·no·cent·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH innocent

1. acquitted, innocent , nolo contendere2. innocence, innocents

Words nearby innocent

innit, innkeeper, in no case, innocence, innocency, innocent, Innocent I, Innocent II, Innocent III, Innocent IV, Innocent IX

How to use innocent in a sentence

Two innocent people were publicly named as the attacker — a marketing executive and a retired police captain.
Bethesda bike-trail assailant receives probation for attack in flier-snatching case|Dan Morse|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
Eighty-seven percent of those accused were eventually found to be innocent.
Why did education leaders trash a school full of music, dance and art?|Jay Mathews|January 30, 2021|Washington Post
Russell Westbrook, the terrifyingly athletic stat-stuffer who seems to hurt innocent rims for no apparent reason.
The Nuggets Look Mediocre, But Nikola Jokić Is Setting The World On Fire|T.J. McBride|January 22, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Most presidents in real life and in games have stained their hands with the blood of innocents, and Sonic the Hedgehog’s president is no different.
The best presidents in video games|Gene Park|January 20, 2021|Washington Post

There’s probably a mixture of kind of innocent people swept along and people who were hardcore organizers knowing exactly what they wanted to do.
A Former Top Spy Tells All|Nick Fouriezos|January 19, 2021|Ozy
There is just no way of selling this picture with an innocent defense like, “she just asked for a snap.”
Buckingham Palace Disputes Sex Allegations Against Prince ‘Randy Andy’|Tom Sykes|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Denied parole nine straight times, he insists he is innocent of the crime for which he was convicted.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I was declared innocent, and they said I should pay $104,000.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Butterbrief, issued by Pope Innocent VIII, was a turning point for the then bland Stollen, which gradually became sweeter.
One Cake to Rule Them All: How Stollen Stole Our Hearts|Molly Hannon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Koenig must know by now that second to knowing if Adnan is innocent, we want to know if she thinks Adnan is innocent.
Adnan Killed Her! No, Jay Did It! Serial’s Uncertain, True-to-Reality End|Emily Shire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The mother's lips could not finish the charge she was about to put upon her innocent child.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
But green Chartreuse unhappily is not innocent; it is more than a spirit, it is a powerful drug.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
They used to believe in witchcraft, and they burned millions—yes, millions—of innocent women as witches.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Blanche sat there with her little excited, yet innocent—too innocent—stare; her eyes followed Mrs. Vivian's.
Confidence|Henry James
"I wouldn't do him any harm for the world," said Mrs. Kaye, casting down her eyes and looking very young and innocent.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for innocent

innocent

/ (ˈɪnəsənt) /

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

harmless or innocuousan innocent game
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 forms of innocent

innocently, adverb

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

innocent

OTHER WORDS FOR innocent

OPPOSITES FOR innocent

Origin of innocent

synonym study for innocent

OTHER WORDS FROM innocent

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH innocent

Words nearby innocent

Words related to innocent

How to use innocent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for innocent

Derived forms of innocent