as in innocent
free from guilt or blame
if the jury acquits him, he is guiltless in the eyes of the law
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in innocency
the quality or state of being free from guilt or blame
her guiltlessness is obvious, since she couldn't possibly have been at the scene of the crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of guiltless
Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Many fans found its generally joyous treatment of Miranda’s guiltless affair with Che, a nonbinary comedian, in the first season off-putting.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
In the wake of Franco’s death, in 1975, came the pacto del olvido, or pact of oblivion—a determination, enshrined in the Amnesty Law of 1977, to brush away the vestiges of former crimes and hence to move onward with a guiltless transition to democracy.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021
So hats (halos?) off to you, Mr. Woolverton, and may the binge-watching, pint-guzzling, relatively guiltless movie marathons commence.
—Susie Neilson, The Cut, 21 Aug. 2017
Adjective
And how many guiltless prisoners there are here!
—Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Many fans found its generally joyous treatment of Miranda’s guiltless affair with Che, a nonbinary comedian, in the first season off-putting.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
In the wake of Franco’s death, in 1975, came the pacto del olvido, or pact of oblivion—a determination, enshrined in the Amnesty Law of 1977, to brush away the vestiges of former crimes and hence to move onward with a guiltless transition to democracy.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021
So hats (halos?) off to you, Mr. Woolverton, and may the binge-watching, pint-guzzling, relatively guiltless movie marathons commence.
—Susie Neilson, The Cut, 21 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guiltless
Adjective
-
The soap is said to smell like Sweeney’s childhood homeland, the Pacific Northwest, so anyone who has a warm and innocent association with that area’s pine, Douglas fir and earthy moss essence is likely to have that completely ruined.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
-
Al Nassr When a YouTuber named Abu Omar dared to do an innocent impression of supervillain Lionel Messi at the home of Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr gave a calm and measured response.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
The Tates have promised to fight the charges in Britain and Romania, publicly declaring their intent to prove their innocence in both jurisdictions.—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
28 May 2025
-
The couple has maintained their innocence and filed appeals seeking a new trial.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Guiltless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guiltless. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share