Synonyms of innocent

innocent 1 of 2

adjective

ˈi-nə-sənt 

1

as in pure

free from sin

an innocent baby

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pure
• white
• honorable
• chaste
• righteous
• immaculate
• honest
• impeccable
• sinless
• moral
• ethical
• virtuous
• good
• virgin
• unblemished
• unsullied
• spotless
• blameless
• unstained
• upright
• decent
• guiltless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sinful
• impure
• lustful
• evil
• lascivious
• lewd
• wicked
• immoral
• libidinous
• lecherous
• unchaste
• corrupt
• depraved
• iniquitous
• sinning
• unrighteous
• perverted
• peccant
• oversexed
• dissolute
• fallen
• degenerate
• lost
• condemned
• erring
• debauched
• debased
• lickerish
• damned
• reprobate
• virtueless

2

as in acquitted

free from guilt or blame

the robbery suspect was eventually found to be innocent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• acquitted
• guiltless
• blameless
• lily-white
• irreproachable
• faultless
• in the clear
• inculpable
• ethical
• clear
• impeccable
• moral
• cleared
• cleanhanded
• virtuous
• absolved
• vindicated
• righteous
• exonerated
• law-abiding
• upright

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• guilty
• culpable
• punishable
• accused
• indictable
• blameworthy
• impeachable
• convicted
• blamable
• censurable
• condemned
• indicted
• shamefaced
• hangdog
• impeached
• shamed

3

as in unaffected

free from any intent to deceive or impress others

an innocent offer to sing before the gathering

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unaffected
• genuine
• honest
• simple
• true
• naive
• guileless
• real
• sincere
• ingenuous
• artless
• inexperienced
• spontaneous
• straightforward
• natural
• unpretentious
• unpretending
• childlike
• on the level
• unsophisticated
• impressionable
• candid
• unworldly
• wide-eyed
• open
• frank
• straight
• simpleminded
• malleable
• trustful
• plain
• unstudied
• trusting
• unforced
• persuadable
• direct
• gullible
• unguarded
• dewy-eyed
• openhearted
• free
• plainspoken
• persuasible
• unwary
• susceptible
• gee-whiz
• exploitable
• single-minded
• free-spoken

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• false
• assuming
• artificial
• affected
• critical
• dishonest
• suspicious
• cynical
• fake
• artful
• insincere
• phony
• sophisticated
• pretentious
• skeptical
• wary
• worldly
• civilized
• mistrustful
• cosmopolitan
• deceptive
• cultured
• guileful
• polished
• hypocritical
• deceitful
• manipulative
• refined
• devious
• crooked
• subtle
• cultivated
• dissembling
• dissimulating
• cunning
• shrewd
• worldly-wise
• sly
• smooth
• wily
• crafty
• sharp
• shifty
• slippery
• foxy
• slick
• scheming
• designing
• tricky
• underhanded
• calculating
• flattering
• unctuous
• arch
• feigned
• double-dealing
• two-faced
• knavish
• forced
• strained
• canny
• sycophantic
• mealymouthed

4

as in naive

lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment

an innocent young woman who felt a little out of place among her more sophisticated roommates

Synonyms & Similar Words

• naive
• simple
• inexperienced
• immature
• unsuspecting
• primitive
• unsuspicious
• unsophisticated
• ingenuous
• unworldly
• unknowing
• uncritical
• dewy
• green
• unwary
• childish
• simpleminded
• wide-eyed
• naïf
• trustful
• trusting
• dewy-eyed
• childlike
• aw-shucks
• careless
• believing
• idealistic
• gullible
• callow
• credulous
• impractical
• unrealistic
• susceptible
• unguarded
• thoughtless
• raw
• heedless
• duped
• gulled
• tricked
• beguiled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sophisticated
• worldly
• knowing
• experienced
• cynical
• suspicious
• critical
• cosmopolitan
• skeptical
• incredulous
• careful
• unconvinced
• cautious
• worldly-wise
• watchful
• wary
• realistic
• pragmatic
• guarded
• leery
• doubting
• sober
• suspecting
• down-to-earth
• hardheaded
• streetwise
• street-smart

5

as in harmless

not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt

good-natured teasing that is just innocent fun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harmless
• benign
• safe
• white
• innocuous
• healthy
• inoffensive
• sound
• anodyne
• gentle
• mild
• benignant
• wholesome
• hurtless
• healthful
• gracious
• trustworthy
• salubrious
• unobjectionable
• nonthreatening
• painless
• nontoxic
• nonfatal
• nonpoisonous
• noninfectious
• nonpolluting
• nondestructive
• noncorrosive
• nonlethal
• nonvenomous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dangerous
• evil
• harmful
• bad
• wicked
• mischievous
• ill
• adverse
• prejudicial
• detrimental
• injurious
• damaging
• deleterious
• pernicious
• hurtful
• poisonous
• noxious
• baneful
• sinister
• baleful
• menacing
• hazardous
• venomous
• ominous
• threatening
• unsafe
• risky
• perilous
• unsound
• nocuous
• unhealthy
• painful
• unwholesome
• offensive
• fatal
• nasty
• deadly
• lethal
• unhealthful
• malignant
• destructive
• ruinous
• insidious
• polluted
• scathing
• parlous
• jeopardizing
• imperiling
• noxious
• noisome
• wounding
• tainted
• pestilent

6

as in ignorant

not informed about or aware of something

a woman who seems entirely innocent of good manners and common courtesy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ignorant
• unaware
• oblivious
• uninformed
• unwitting
• unknowing
• clueless
• unmindful
• unconscious
• in the dark
• unacquainted
• uneducated
• incognizant
• nescient
• unschooled
• insensible
• untaught
• heedless
• inattentive
• abstracted
• absent
• absentminded
• inconscient

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conscious
• aware
• acquainted
• knowing
• grounded
• mindful
• informed
• cognizant
• conversant
• hip
• taught
• educated
• knowledgeable
• witting
• up-to-date
• sensitive
• observant
• sentient
• plugged-in
• schooled
• au courant
• heedful

innocent

2 of 2

noun

as in angel

an innocent or gentle person

an innocent who is often puzzled by and prey to the evils of the world

Synonyms & Similar Words

• angel
• sheep
• lamb
• saint
• virgin
• dove
• sucker
• colt
• fledgling
• naïf
• cub
• babe
• ingenue
• cherub
• greenhorn
• tenderfoot
• newbie
• dupe
• pigeon
• weakling
• softy
• wimp
• sap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of innocent

Adjective

More than 180 innocent people also were injured, the Herald found. — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

The charges are allegations, and each person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Noun

The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

Some innocents are coerced into false confessions, like what happened to the Central Park Five. — Rene Denfeld, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026