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
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Recent Examples of innocently
The story starts innocently enough.
—
Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
What began as innocently wagering ten or twenty bucks on games escalated to putting $5,000 on long-shot parlays, day after day.
—Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Mainstream media didn’t care about Brown and Black youth above Central Park innocently losing their lives.
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
But why didn’t the scholarship go to any of the students at that school, Alberta Dome innocently wonders?
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2025
Participating gas stations innocently suggest using points to lower your out-of-pocket cost at the pump.
—Sarah Hostetler, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
His friend had innocently landed on that scene.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
In a thriller, the suspense is built around a challenge posed to the protagonist — the last big score before retiring, being innocently accused of a crime or accidentally getting involved in something dangerous and deadly.
—Anders De La Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
That play started innocently enough.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
What began as innocently wagering ten or twenty bucks on games escalated to putting $5,000 on long-shot parlays, day after day.
—Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Mainstream media didn’t care about Brown and Black youth above Central Park innocently losing their lives.
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
But why didn’t the scholarship go to any of the students at that school, Alberta Dome innocently wonders?
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2025
Participating gas stations innocently suggest using points to lower your out-of-pocket cost at the pump.
—Sarah Hostetler, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
His friend had innocently landed on that scene.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
In a thriller, the suspense is built around a challenge posed to the protagonist — the last big score before retiring, being innocently accused of a crime or accidentally getting involved in something dangerous and deadly.
—Anders De La Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
That play started innocently enough.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocently
Adverb
-
Dozens of Bay Area mayors, councilmembers and officials signed an open letter calling for Martinez to either sincerely work to repair his relationship with the Jewish community or resign.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Taking a closer look at the societal environments that overshadow low-income communities must be in the equation when sincerely working to stop child abuse.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Senior executives speak openly about the potential for better customer experience, better products, and fundamentally new business models enabled by AI.—
Peter Bendor-Samuel,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Nipple and areola changes Nipple and areola changes are extremely common postpartum, especially for breastfeeding parents—yet they’re rarely talked about openly.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
29 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Price competition will be aggressive, margins will be under pressure, and differentiation based purely on scale or cost will continue to erode.—
Peter Bendor-Samuel,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
These individual mats differ from the main mahjong mat and are purely meant to make gameplay easier—providing a smooth, flat surface that helps reduce noise and protect the tiles and the table underneath.—
Cori Sears,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Second, that Carrick was genuinely a player of wonderful ability, who was seen as a tremendous talent from a young age.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Without the organic give-and-take of a real therapeutic exchange, patients lose the sense that someone is not merely interpreting your words but genuinely trying to understand you.—
Brianna Hardcastle,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Softened butter is also crucial for making smooth frostings, as cold butter will not emulsify properly and will lead to clumpy results (this is true of cake batters, too).—
Molly Allen,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Evidence gathered by department investigators showed that deputies at that jail had not been properly trained to do mandatory security checks.—
Christopher Damien,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The barely disguised soullessness with which AI leaders operate, perhaps, has provided a window for entrepreneurs to peddle a more humane message, in good faith or not in good faith, naively or cynically.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
22 Jan. 2026
-
To believe otherwise is to divert one’s gaze, naively, hoping others will manage the problem, keeping it from your doorstep — in defiance of the medicine and simple math.—
Eric Snoey,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
But the show’s standout is Sophia Lillis, whose distraught, morally inflamed Riley is the play’s most original figure.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Sins of Kujo, adapted from Shohei Manabe’s manga, casts Yuya Yagira as a morally ambiguous lawyer who defends society’s most reprehensible figures, a dark, adult-skewing legal drama.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The glorious sweep of progress toward Roman civilization and prosperity means the end of an idyllic, virtuously rustic Golden Age.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocently. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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