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

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use innocent in a sentence

At every turn, they described their son as a faithful follower who had dedicated his life to easing the suffering of innocents.
A 26-Year-Old Woman Is ISIS’s Last American Hostage|Shane Harris|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were undoubtedly violent, and slaughtered countless innocents.
How the Vikings Saved Europe and Got a Terrible Reputation|William O’Connor|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He stabbed three others to death and hit four more innocents with his car, injuring them.
How the Gun Nuts Try to Excuse Away the Santa Barbara Slaughter—and Why They’re All Wrong|Cliff Schecter|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The industry already had the blood of innocents on its hands.
Murdered for Her iPhone|Michael Daly|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Nothing could be more cowardly than to gun down three unarmed innocents, including a 14-year-old boy.
The Killer Klansman’s Missing Years as a Federal Informant|Michael Daly|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the benefit of innocents who do not know what poaching is like, I will give an idea of this one dog's depredations.
The Chequers|James Runciman
So, when one of these innocents falls among our hungry band, it is something terrible.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet
Many a time have I seen these interesting little missives being let down past my balcony—how trustful the innocents were!
Spanish Life in Town and Country|L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street
Monsieur Levrault was an honest citizen who had grown rich by selling cloth near the Market of the Innocents.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850|Various
Thenceforth the innocents and near-innocents could get their perunaese jag only at the risk of a bad quarter of an hour.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various

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

Medical definitions for innocent

innocent

[ ĭn′ə-sənt ]

adj.

Not apparently harmful; benign.

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 related to innocent

How to use innocent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for innocent

Derived forms of innocent

Medical definitions for innocent