INNOCENTLY Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

innocently

adverb

as in sincerely

without any attempt to impress by deception or exaggeration "You look nice," she commented innocently

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in chastely

with purity of thought and deed very young children approach the world so innocently

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 innocently Their amalgamation with the other color produces a degradation to which no lover of his country, no lover of excellence in the human character can innocently consent. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 It was innocently posted by motorsports reporter Cole Cusumano, who was there covering the race. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026 The deciding goal started innocently enough on a Marcel Sabitzer corner kick, albeit after the World Cup’s still-odd hydration breaks. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 June 2026 The play started innocently enough with Tab Ramos bouncing a one-hop pass to Paul Caligiuri, who played the ball off his chest 40 yards from goal. — Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026 There’s a particularly tragic scene where Natalia, lured on holiday by Elsa, spots a small child innocently giggling at the table across from her at dinner. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026 For the person who innocently took her rugby kit to the hospital four years ago, representing her country would feel like a just reward for Balogun’s perseverance and strength of will. — George Ramsay, New York Times, 7 May 2026 Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026 After innocently coming up in the scene by posting songs on Soundcloud, Slayyyter finally signed to a major label last year. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 1 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocently

Adverb

Colquitt sincerely believes that her work can restore the dignity too often denied people in their last days.

— John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
But the results and the action on the field were second to the experience for Baldwin, who was sincerely present in the moment during the two days of All-Star Game activities.

— Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of sincerely

Adverb

Most telling is how openly Stassi disdains the idea of therapy, even insisting to the horror of pretty much everyone else onscreen that forcing hard conversations on reality TV is her therapy.

— Caroline Framke, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
The honest move is to redesign the coordination function openly.

— Pallavi Mahajan, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of openly

Adverb

The risk of job cuts becomes more real if health systems adopt AI purely as a cost-cutting lever rather than a capacity-expanding one.

— Mudit Garg, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
These accounts underscore ongoing efforts to improve access for small and mid‑sized importers, pushing back on narratives that the process is purely skewed toward corporate giants.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of purely

Adverb

Not payroll, not the ERP, where audit and compliance still make leaving genuinely hard.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
In his view, a candidate who has genuinely embraced AI can work at 10 times the speed of one who hasn’t—and that gap is only going to widen.

— Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of genuinely

Adverb

Few companies have the time and talent to properly address AI as an asset, liability and necessity, so a new breed of MSPs has emerged to meet the moment.

— James Loffler, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Two of the most exciting results, the experts say, incorporate preexisting ideas from the recent mathematical literature without properly citing them.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

Her parents naively thought these nuns would look after their kid for a couple of weeks.

— Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 7 July 2026
When the United States invaded the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, Twain naively imagined that the country would be liberated and turned into a republic.

— Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Definition of naively

Adverb

Nonetheless, memes like those received serious reactions from social commentators and political pundits who interpreted them as evidence that America’s young adults are nihilistic and morally indifferent.

— Evan Clarkson, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026
Unlike shoplifting, which is clearly transactional and morally coded, hotel theft exists in a fuzzier psychological space.

— Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of morally

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innocent

innocently

innocents

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“Innocently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocently. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of innocently

adverb

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