in·no·cent
ˈi-nə-sənt 
1
a
: free from legal guilt or fault
b
: free from guilt or sin especially through lack of knowledge of evil : blameless
an innocent child
c
: harmless in effect or intention
… searching for a hidden motive in even the most innocent conversation.—
Leonard Wibberley
Leonard Wibberley2
3
: lacking or deprived of something
… her face innocent of cosmetics …—Marcia Davenport
Marcia Davenport
innocently
adverb
plural innocents
: a person who is innocent: such as
a
: a person free from sin : a young child
the biblical massacre/slaughter of the innocents
b
: a naïve, inexperienced, or unsophisticated person
a political innocent
… during a great land boom in which immense fortunes were made and innocents like himself fleeced.—Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
c
: a blameless person : a person who does not deserve to be harmed
The war caused the death of thousands of innocents.
Synonyms
Adjective
Noun
Examples of innocent in a Sentence
Adjective
He says that he is innocent of the crime.
She was found innocent of all charges.
A person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.
Someone told your secret, but it wasn't me. I'm innocent.
Recent Examples on the WebBea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
The truth is the 133 hostages are also some of the civilians who are innocent in Gaza.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
But that was a more innocent era, when everybody had no idea the moptops ever argued about anything, except which one was the Walrus.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
All of her stuff was fun and innocent, but loose lips can sink a ship.
—Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2024
Weir, though, is the real prize here, a pint-sized marvel who is able to switch in a millisecond from sweet and innocent child to a rabid bloodsucker.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The 77-year-old former president has pleaded innocent to the charges and faces as many as four years behind bars.
—Erik Larson and Patricia Hurtado Bloomberg News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 15 Apr. 2024
The iconic song is like an unofficial battle cry for pop stars who burst on the scene young, wholesome, and innocent and then get chastised for—gasp—growing up.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
With a Palestinian father and the mental image of innocent bloodshed, Salman felt moved to take to the streets with his Palestinian flag in tow—for more than 100 days straight.
—Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
The examples of the gratuitous killing of civilians in Gaza are already numerous, and further instances of the Israeli government’s relaxed attitude to the deaths of innocents will surely come to light after the war.
—Avner Gvaryahu, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2024
While Damien isn't yet around to shove innocents off of balconies, something eerie is certainly afoot in our first extended look at his origins.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Jan. 2024
Sharing my deep dismay at what people think is acceptable to clothe even innocents, the host asked what my plans were going forward.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 7 Feb. 2024
The region has been aflame since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering 1,200 Israelis, kidnapping hundreds more, and spiriting away the innocents into an underground hell.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 19 Jan. 2024
The neighbors expressed sadness for the suffering of the innocents on both sides.
—Joyce Kamanitz, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024
Images: Zuma Press/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly The hostage deal that Israel and Hamas reached Tuesday will spare the lives of some 50 Israelis, and that is a great relief to the innocents and their families.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2023
No sooner does a heavily armed Haitian gang fire on a hospital in Port-au-Prince brimming with mothers and babies, than a Mexican cartel stages a deadly drone bomb attack on a small community of innocents in Guerrero.
—Tim Padgett, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024
Adjective
What contributions will this tiny, innocent bundle of joy bring to the world?
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
The truth is the 133 hostages are also some of the civilians who are innocent in Gaza.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
But that was a more innocent era, when everybody had no idea the moptops ever argued about anything, except which one was the Walrus.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
All of her stuff was fun and innocent, but loose lips can sink a ship.
—Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2024
Weir, though, is the real prize here, a pint-sized marvel who is able to switch in a millisecond from sweet and innocent child to a rabid bloodsucker.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The 77-year-old former president has pleaded innocent to the charges and faces as many as four years behind bars.
—Erik Larson and Patricia Hurtado Bloomberg News (tns), arkansasonline.com, 15 Apr. 2024
The iconic song is like an unofficial battle cry for pop stars who burst on the scene young, wholesome, and innocent and then get chastised for—gasp—growing up.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
With a Palestinian father and the mental image of innocent bloodshed, Salman felt moved to take to the streets with his Palestinian flag in tow—for more than 100 days straight.
—Dylan Wickman, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
The video showed Hamas operatives breaking into homes, setting fires to force people out, systematically executing innocents and taking a perverse joy in the mass murder of Jews.
—Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
The examples of the gratuitous killing of civilians in Gaza are already numerous, and further instances of the Israeli government’s relaxed attitude to the deaths of innocents will surely come to light after the war.
—Avner Gvaryahu, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2024
While Damien isn't yet around to shove innocents off of balconies, something eerie is certainly afoot in our first extended look at his origins.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Jan. 2024
Sharing my deep dismay at what people think is acceptable to clothe even innocents, the host asked what my plans were going forward.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 7 Feb. 2024
The region has been aflame since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering 1,200 Israelis, kidnapping hundreds more, and spiriting away the innocents into an underground hell.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 19 Jan. 2024
The neighbors expressed sadness for the suffering of the innocents on both sides.
—Joyce Kamanitz, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024
Images: Zuma Press/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly The hostage deal that Israel and Hamas reached Tuesday will spare the lives of some 50 Israelis, and that is a great relief to the innocents and their families.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2023
No sooner does a heavily armed Haitian gang fire on a hospital in Port-au-Prince brimming with mothers and babies, than a Mexican cartel stages a deadly drone bomb attack on a small community of innocents in Guerrero.
—Tim Padgett, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'innocent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near innocent
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innocent. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
innocent
adjective
in·no·cent
ˈin-ə-sənt
1
: free from sin : pure
2
: free from guilt or blame : guiltless
innocent of the crime
3
: free from harmful influence or effect : harmless
innocent fun
innocent
noun
innocently
adverb
Medical Definition
innocent
adjective
in·no·cent
ˈin-ə-sənt
: lacking capacity to injure : benign
an innocent tumor
innocent heart murmurs
Legal Definition
innocent
adjective
in·no·cent
ˈi-nə-sənt
: characterized by innocence
Biographical Definition
Innocent
biographical name
In·no·cent
ˈi-nə-sənt
name of 13 popes: especially II died 1143 (pope 1130–43); III 1160(or 1161)–1216 (pope 1198–1216); IV died 1254 (pope 1243–54); XI 1611–1689 (pope 1676–89)
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