innocent

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adjective in·no·cent \ ˈi-nə-sənt \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of innocent

1 a :free from guilt or sin especially through lack of knowledge of evil :blameless

an innocent child

b :harmless in effect or intention

… searching for a hidden motive in even the most innocent conversation.
—Leonard Wibberley

; also :candid

gave me an innocent gaze

c :free from legal guilt or fault; also :lawful

a wholly innocent transaction

2 a :lacking or reflecting a lack of sophistication, guile, or self-consciousness :artless, ingenuous

b :ignorant

almost entirely innocent of Latin
—C. L. Wrenn

; also :unaware

perfectly innocent of the confusion he had created
—B. R. Haydon

3 :lacking or deprived of something

her face innocent of cosmetics
—Marcia Davenport

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innocently

adverb

See innocent defined for English-language learners

See innocent defined for kids

Recent Examples of innocent from the Web

Lawyers for Ramchandani and Ashton reiterated previous comments that their clients were innocent and praising their decisions to travel to the U.S. voluntarily to clear their names.

— suzi ring, Bloomberg.com, "British Currency Traders Fly to New York to Face Rigging Trial," 17 July 2017
This should never happen, especially to an innocent child,'' said Joseph Bryant, spokesman for HABD.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "3 detained following Sunday shootout that wounded 4-year-old girl, elderly woman," 10 July 2017
Laurey and Curly are both young, innocent and falling in love.

— jessi virtusio, Daily Southtown, "Southland children learn theater while staging 'Oklahoma!' in Oak Lawn," 30 June 2017
A spokesperson for the LaSalle County State's Attorney's Office said suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty and the maximum penalty for failure to reduce speed is a $1,000 fine.

— gary gibula, Aurora Beacon-News, "Woman struck by semi while helping turtle cross the road," 27 June 2017
The U.S. can still do a lot to stop the slaughter of innocent people.

— the tylt, OregonLive.com, "Do you support US intervention in Syria?," 21 June 2017
Proponents say the mug-shot law is aimed at companies who keep photos of innocent people online forever, harming their reputation if someone does a Google search on them.

— david harris, OrlandoSentinel.com, "New law forces websites to pull mug shots of the acquitted," 19 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'innocent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of innocent

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin innocent-, innocens, from in- + nocent-, nocens wicked, from present participle of nocēre to harm — more at noxious

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First Known Use: 14th century

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innocent Synonyms

Synonyms

impeccable, pure, sinless, white

Antonyms

impure, peccant, sinful, sinning

Related Words

chaste, moral, virgin, virtuous; immaculate, spotless, unblemished, unstained, unsullied; decent, ethical, good, honest, honorable, righteous, upright, virtuous; blameless, guiltless

Near Antonyms

lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libidinous, lickerish, lustful, oversexed, unchaste; evil, immoral, iniquitous, reprobate, unrighteous, virtueless, wicked; corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, erring, fallen, lost, perverted; condemned, damned

innocent

noun

Definition of innocent

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

c :a blameless person :a person who does not deserve to be harmed

The war caused the death of thousands of innocents.

First Known Use of innocent

14th century

innocent Synonyms

Synonyms

angel, dove, lamb, sheep

Antonyms

wolf

Related Words

babe, colt, cub, fledgling, greenhorn, ingenue (or ingénue), naïf (or naif), newbie, tenderfoot, virgin; cherub, saint; mollycoddle, sissy, softy (or softie), weakling, wimp; dupe, pigeon, sap, sucker

Near Antonyms

bully, roughneck, rowdy, tough; beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cretin, cur, heel, jerk, joker, louse, lout, slob; shark, skunk, snake, stinker; devil, knave, miscreant, no-good, rapscallion, rascal, reprobate, rogue, scalawag (or scallywag), scamp, scoundrel, varlet, villain

Innocent

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biographical name In·no·cent \ ˈi-nə-sənt \

Definition of Innocent

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)

INNOCENT Defined for Kids

innocent

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adjective in·no·cent \ ˈi-nə-sənt \

Definition of innocent for Students

1 :free from sin :pure

She's as innocent as a baby.

2 :free from guilt or blame

He is innocent of the charges.

3 :free from evil influence or effect :harmless

innocent fun

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innocently

adverb

Medical Dictionary

innocent

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adjective in·no·cent \ ˈin-ə-sənt \

medical Definition of innocent

:lacking capacity to injure :benign

an innocent tumor

innocent heart murmurs

Law Dictionary

innocent

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adjective in·no·cent \ ˈi-nə-sənt \

legal Definition of innocent

:characterized by innocence

Learn More about innocent

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for innocent Spanish Central: Translation of innocent Nglish: Translation of innocent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of innocent for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about innocent

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innocent

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Innocent

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INNOCENT Defined for Kids

innocent

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innocent

medical Definition of innocent

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innocent

legal Definition of innocent

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