innocent

[ in-uh-suhnt ]

adjective

1. free from moral wrong; without sin; pure:

   innocent children.

   Synonyms: immaculate, spotless, impeccable, faultless, virtuous, sinless

   Antonyms: guilty

2. free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless:

   innocent of the crime.

   Antonyms: guilty

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.

   Synonyms: artless, unsophisticated, naive, simple

7. uninformed or unaware; ignorant.

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 ).

innocent

/ ˈɪnəsənt /

adjective

1. not corrupted or tainted with evil or unpleasant emotion; sinless; pure
2. not guilty of a particular crime; blameless
3. postpositivefoll byof free (of); lacking

   innocent of all knowledge of history

4. 1. harmless or innocuous

      an innocent game

   2. not cancerous

      an innocent tumour

5. credulous, naive, or artless
6. simple-minded; slow-witted

noun

1. an innocent person, esp a young child or an ingenuous adult
2. a simple-minded person; simpleton

Derived Forms

• ˈinnocently, adverb

Other Words From

• inno·cent·ly adverb
• quasi-inno·cent adjective
• quasi-inno·cent·ly adverb
• super·inno·cent adjective
• super·inno·cent·ly adverb
• un·inno·cent adjective
• un·inno·cent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of innocent¹

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”; -ent; noxious

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

"Oh, absolutely, I would. If they're innocent, I would pardon them," Trump said during a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists.

From BBC

US-based animal rights group Lady Freethinker, which also helped track the global network, said the "horrors being inflicted on innocent, baby monkeys for online videos are sickening".

From BBC

That this caper results in a staggering amount of collateral damage — I mean, he shoots a lot of innocent people — makes him immediately unlikable, which I don’t think is the point; if anything, there’s some attempt to humanize him, give him some depth.

From Los Angeles Times

One comment that went viral on Weibo read: "How can you take revenge on society because your family life is not going well? You've taken the lives of so many innocent people, will you ever have peace of mind."

From BBC

It is understood that while the government is not seeking to strip firms of powers to prosecute criminals who deliberately avoid paying, there has been growing discomfort at action being taken against people who have made innocent mistakes.

From BBC

Related Words

• childlike
• gullible
• ignorant
• innocuous
• wide-eyed