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innocent

[in-uh-suhnt]
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adjective
  1. free from moral wrong; without sin; pure: innocent children.
  2. free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless: innocent of the crime.
  3. not involving evil intent or motive: an innocent misrepresentation.
  4. not causing physical or moral injury; harmless: innocent fun.
  5. devoid (usually followed by of): a law innocent of merit.
  6. having or showing the simplicity or naiveté of an unworldly person; guileless; ingenuous.
  7. uninformed or unaware; ignorant.
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noun
  1. an innocent person.
  2. a young child.
  3. a guileless person.
  4. a simpleton or idiot.
  5. Usually innocents. (used with a singular verb) bluet(def 1).
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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

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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

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

Related Words

kindlypolitelynaively

Examples from the Web for innocently

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "You first, professor," said Yates; and Tim innocently offered him the vessel.

  • "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.

  • "He's an awfully good chap, you know," said Vernon innocently.

  • “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
  1. not corrupted or tainted with evil or unpleasant emotion; sinless; pure
  2. not guilty of a particular crime; blameless
  3. (postpositive foll by of) free (of); lackinginnocent of all knowledge of history
    1. harmless or innocuousan innocent game
    2. not cancerousan 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
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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).

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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).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
innocently in Medicine

innocent

(ĭn′ə-sənt)
adj.
  1. Not apparently harmful; benign.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.