innocent

[in-uh-suhnt]

See more synonyms for innocent 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).

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 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for innocently

kindly, politely, naively

Examples from the Web for innocently

Contemporary Examples of innocently

But the entendre and innuendo permeates the rest of the series—often innocently, but sometimes far more blatantly.
‘Mozart in the Jungle’: Inside Amazon’s Brave New World of Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music
Kevin Fallon
December 23, 2014
I innocently wrote a letter home to my mother telling her how great the French chef was in the headquarters canteen.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk
Clive Irving
November 10, 2014
So I would trap everyone with that, by innocently asking if they remembered what they said about Mark-Paul or Tiffani.
'Saved by the Bell' Star Dustin Diamond Doesn't Want to Be a Jerk Anymore
Kevin Fallon
August 11, 2014
There was that innocently ignoble time Phoebe Buffay pretended she was a physician named Dr. Regina Phalange.
Scandal’s Lisa Kudrow on Sexism in Politics (and That Epic Rant)
Kevin Fallon
November 14, 2013
Cosby was innocently changing his tire that night when he was robbed at gunpoint and then shot in the head.
Trayvon Martin’s Death Is Like Ennis Cosby’s
Allison Samuels
July 14, 2013

Historical Examples of innocently

"You first, professor," said Yates; and Tim innocently offered him the vessel.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
"I expect to be as gay as a cricket," returned Mrs. Blair, innocently.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
"I've no one to teach me," said Betty, innocently phrasing a long-felt want.
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit
"He's an awfully good chap, you know," said Vernon innocently.
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit
“I wish you would tell me why you have come here,” I inquired, innocently.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill

British Dictionary definitions for innocently

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

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 innocently

adv.

c.1400, from innocent (adj.) + -ly (2).

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).

innocently in Medicine

innocent

[ĭn′ə-sənt]

adj.

Not apparently harmful; benign.