1
as in pure
free from sin
an innocent baby
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in acquitted
free from guilt or blame
the robbery suspect was eventually found to be innocent
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3
as in unaffected
free from any intent to deceive or impress others
an innocent offer to sing before the gathering
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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
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5
as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
good-natured teasing that is just innocent fun
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6
as in ignorant
not informed about or aware of something
a woman who seems entirely innocent of good manners and common courtesy
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as in angel
an innocent or gentle person
an innocent who is often puzzled by and prey to the evils of the world
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of innocent
David Plazas, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
However, civil rights advocates have raised concerns that the technology's potential for misidentification could lead to the arrest and prosecution of innocent people.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
If its sympathies can’t help but tilt a little toward the colonized, the film still plays like a nightmare in which every escalation kills more innocents and every victory comes at a horrible cost.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Adjective
Even one instance of an innocent person being swept in raids is terrible, but to witness multiple cases of people being detained, deported and denied due process in a court of law is disheartening.
—David Plazas, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
However, civil rights advocates have raised concerns that the technology's potential for misidentification could lead to the arrest and prosecution of innocent people.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Noun
Some rights groups say the death toll could be as high as 30,000 with innocents and bystanders often caught in the crossfire.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
If its sympathies can’t help but tilt a little toward the colonized, the film still plays like a nightmare in which every escalation kills more innocents and every victory comes at a horrible cost.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocent
Adjective
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Happening in early May, the festival’s events are pure Americana.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
11 July 2025
-
Hydration is key When working in the heat, avoid sugary drinks and opt for pure water or water with electrolytes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
But Lacan comes in with a fresh slate, unaffected by the team’s struggles through the early part of the season.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
5 July 2025
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The bottom 20% of earners are largely unaffected by either policy, as they already aren’t taxed on Social Security payments and largely have their tax liability wiped out through other deductions before the senior tax deduction would apply.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Modern takes on the tankini and boy short offer nostalgia without being too naive and are also seen from Candice Swaenpoel’s Topic of C line or Hunza G’s colorful styles.—
Emily Mercer,
Footwear News,
27 June 2025
-
Yet such arguments are either geopolitically naive or disingenuous.—
Charles Kupchan,
Foreign Affairs,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
The grunting, the couple now know, was not harmless.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
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For most people, drinking a concoction of OJ, coconut water and pink salt is pretty darn harmless and could even be beneficial.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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Consequently, many of those enslaved in Texas remained ignorant of the proclamation’s potential impact on their lives, or of the fact the Civil War had functionally ended two months earlier.—
Timothy Welbeck,
The Conversation,
16 June 2025
-
Careless or ignorant reporting has obscured objective reality.—
Nicholas DiMarzio,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
The shepherds were visited by an angel and guided to the infant king.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
-
Showrunner Tony Tost was truly an angel, and everyone on board were such freak-ass nerds about TV and cinema, and were so excited to share all these reference points with me, like Colombo.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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And how many guiltless prisoners there are here!—
Alexei Navalny,
The New Yorker,
11 Oct. 2024
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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
Adjective
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What matters is whether genuine compatibility exists beneath the obsession.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
5 July 2025
-
Despite the lighthearted framing of the post, many comments conveyed genuine sadness or guilt—often about animals taken on without fully understanding the commitment involved.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocent. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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