1
as in sincerely
without any attempt to impress by deception or exaggeration
"You look nice," she commented innocently
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
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
-
Watching Bryce Dettloff and Trinity Tatum pine for each other while separated by Casa Amor and realize their feelings for each other while unable to talk was sincerely romantic.
-
For example, someone may sincerely believe a supplement, detox or alternative therapy helped when symptoms may have improved naturally or because of expectation alone.
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.
Adverb
-
The big news is that the United States and Iran are no longer openly at war.
-
When someone openly and continuously crosses your land for years, that use can gradually become a permanent legal right called a prescriptive easement.
Adverb
-
Yet the discussion surrounding their survival is too often reduced to a purely financial debate.
-
Port selection is cutting-edge, with purely USB-C connectivity on both sides.
Adverb
-
From a range of lodging options to activities and amenities that will please your whole crew, Ocean Edge delivers both classic Cape Cod vibes and a genuinely great family vacation experience.
-
The official deals are Prime member-exclusive, so make sure you’re signed up to make the most of the (genuinely very good) sale.
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.
-
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.
Adverb
-
Schmidt is hardly alone in naively extrapolating this trend out and concluding that, in the limit, AI will inevitably consume all the energy in the world.
-
Readers might think that from the perspective of the dog my engagement with its gaze is naively anthropocentric.
Adverb
-
As Azula takes the city, Team Avatar — except for Aang — are locked up in a secret underground prison along with the morally conflicted Fire Nation prince Zuko (Dallas Liu).
-
This would be bad not just for immigrant health, although that would be a morally and practically sufficient reason to oppose a reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment.
Cite this Entry
“Innocently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocently. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
