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
Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
However, this priest may not have been so innocent.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 5 June 2025
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
What kind of people approve of a government that extra-judicially kidnaps innocents and renders them into the hands of a foreign gulag—and then hides behind that government when ordered by an American court to bring them back?
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Adjective
Officers from both agencies collaborated to hide evidence that would’ve shown Watkins was innocent and gave false testimonies at trial, the filing says.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
However, this priest may not have been so innocent.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 5 June 2025
Noun
Remmick wants to pull Sammie’s music into his homogeneous blob of bloodsuckers, and likely use it to attract more innocents into the vampire circle.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
What kind of people approve of a government that extra-judicially kidnaps innocents and renders them into the hands of a foreign gulag—and then hides behind that government when ordered by an American court to bring them back?
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocent
Adjective
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Perhaps the truth, however, is that Emmanuel-Thomas, in pure sporting terms, has always been something of a puzzle.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
-
Vionic Uptown Loafer The Vionic Uptown Loafers look like pure business on the upper, but the sole offers all the comfort and flexibility of a sneaker.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott emphasized that the city's drinking water remains unaffected by the spill.—
Barney Henderson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
-
The administration’s alternate pathways to imposing its tariffs and avoid legal scrutiny could include using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which was unaffected by the court’s ruling.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Even a naive analysis, one that buys into some very obvious Republican budget tricks, finds that this bill cuts taxes and raises spending by $4 trillion over 10 years — but only pays for about $1.7 trillion of that.—
Ezra Klein,
Mercury News,
28 May 2025
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In the film's early scenes, Cruise displays a naive, unwavering patriotism that seamlessly meshed with the actor's military heroics in Top Gun three years earlier — which makes Kovic's stark transition to impassioned anti-war advocacy all the more surprising in the runtime's second half.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
Selling such toys violates a New York law inspired by police encounters that have resulted in fatalities because the guns, though harmless, look like actual firearms.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
-
Researchers believe many cases go unnoticed because the condition is harmless.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Simone, still at the hospital, remains blissfully ignorant of Kiki’s vengeful turn.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
-
Conservative media, once a proud home to voices like Charles Krauthammer, Jonah Goldberg, and Bill Kristol, now platforms ignorant Trump sycophants who have no use for conservative principles — or principles of any kind.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Muslims believe that as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, an angel of God stopped him and gave him a ram to sacrifice in place of his son.—
Monica Haider,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
-
Signature brand pieces include amulets, angels, royal blue moonstones and more.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
6 June 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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Learning to be resilient from the inside out is essential for developing genuine capacity and successfully navigating challenging times.—
Melissa Cidado,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Being transparent in this way helps build trust and demonstrates a genuine dedication to improvement.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocent. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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