innocently

adverb

1
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
2
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 The Network Started With A Missing File The origins of the incident started innocently. — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocently
  1. sincerely
  2. chastely
  3. openly
  4. purely
  5. genuinely
  6. properly
  7. naively
  8. morally
Adverb
  • Jean is wonderful, a fiercely loyal and maternal figure who sincerely wants to help these women untangle their traumas and get back on their feet.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of sincerely
Adverb
  • Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.
    — Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of chastely
Adverb
  • But prosecutors say Davis’ decision to write his book and speak openly about his story in interviews effectively negated the deal, and the judge in his trial agreed to allow the recording to be played to the jury.
    — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • As public sentiment has begun to more openly embrace the idea of ketamine as a therapeutic aid, Watts has become a prominent advocate.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of openly
Adverb
  • Whatever people think of the film, it was endeavored to be made with purely with the process at its heart.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Element 116 on the periodic table had been purely theoretical until December 2000, when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory synthesized it for the first time.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of purely
Adverb
  • Traffic in the waterway remains at less than a fifth of pre-war levels, and no genuinely safe shipping route exists in the region, according to a maritime intelligence group.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The rooms The property features 55 rooms designed to deliver a genuinely comfortable take on camping.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of genuinely
Adverb
  • Dan Dow, San Luis Obispo district attorney and president of the California District Attorneys Association, said DAs are concerned about Kowalczyk narrowing judges’ ability to properly prosecute offenders.
    — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Behind the screen, five full-range speaker systems remain in place — enough, Counter said, to properly present vintage 70mm films with their original six-channel sound.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of properly
Adverb
  • Unfortunately, one extra week of rest is not sufficient to rectify this problem (even assuming — naively — that NYRA kicks the Belmont back a week to accommodate our shift).
    — Stephen J. K. Walters, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Her parents naively thought these nuns would look after their kid for a couple of weeks.
    — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of naively
Adverb
  • Deadline’s Full Coverage Of Disney’s D23 Fan Event The VisionQuest also features James Spader as Ultron, Todd Stashwick as the morally ambiguous mercenary Paladin and Faran Tahir reprising his role of Raz from the MCU kickstarter pic Iron Man.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The good guys protecting us from people who want to work and live here will continue their morally upright quest by electrocuting their foes into submission.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of morally

Browse Nearby Words

innocent
innocently
innocents
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Cite this Entry

“Innocently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocently. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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