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 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
Bethenny Frankel was innocently applying a roller on her face to help with inflammation on Thursday on Instagram.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
The mistake begins innocently enough.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Bethenny Frankel was innocently applying a roller on her face to help with inflammation on Thursday on Instagram.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
The mistake begins innocently enough.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocently
Adverb
-
For example, someone may sincerely believe a supplement, detox or alternative therapy helped when symptoms may have improved naturally or because of expectation alone.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The back support was there, and as someone who’s five eleven, that was sincerely appreciated.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
15 June 2026
Adverb
-
Patients who once flew to Turkey purely for the price break now arrive with detailed clinic short lists, surgeon credentials in hand and questions about aftercare protocols.—
Ascend Agency,
Denver Post,
18 June 2026
-
Nobody travels to matches, paints their face, or organizes a game-day event purely for the final score of a single game.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
By far the best known of Egypt’s players, Salah is a Sunni Muslim who practices his faith openly, on and off the field.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
-
Like Kennedy, many of them hold anti-vaccine views and are also openly hostile to mRNA technology.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
Adcock manages child safety seat inspection events and training across Northern Indiana, aimed at helping parents ensure their car seats are properly installed and that their children are safe.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
-
Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse The highly agile Getty shooter Alan Crowhurst has done us a great favor by bringing concrete cloakroom evidence of the many social and administrative challenges that the (famous) Royal Ascot costume edicts require in order to be properly met.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Adverb
-
The aesthetics of every World Cup are genuinely important to our collective memory of them.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
The most genuinely useful Father's Day gift isn't a one-time cleanup.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Adverb
-
This point can sound almost heretical in modern healthcare discourse, where prevention is frequently framed as both morally superior and financially inevitable.—
Jeffrey Wessler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The least morally ambiguous of Snow’s latest characters is Mandy Matney, the investigative journalist whose podcast served as the source material for Murdaugh.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
Readers might think that from the perspective of the dog my engagement with its gaze is naively anthropocentric.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Educators are no longer naively wondering if students will use generative AI to do their homework for them.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Some of us virtuously recycle items that will be transported across the world to smother island nations in single-use plastic bags and water bottles, milk jugs, yogurt tubs, pet food and potato chip bags, Styrofoam meat trays, Coke bottles, Amazon mailing envelopes, and fast-food wrappers.—
Caroline Fraser,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
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 23 Jun. 2026.
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