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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocently
Adverb
-
But there are millions of people who sincerely think some or all of those things are true and do not take a cross-country train and try to kill the president and his Cabinet.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
-
At that time, the other co-founders were sincerely questioning both Musk and Altman’s motivations for wanting to become OpenAI’s CEO.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
After months of allowing customers to openly carry guns in its Florida stores, Publix appears to have changed its policy.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
7 May 2026
-
Critics warn that openly discussing armed resistance could endanger protesters, deepen divisions inside the opposition and risk pushing Iran toward civil war.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adverb
-
Chimaev claimed his focus was purely financial.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
His readership is spliced along a generational divide, and Chao noted how, when the exhibition opened, an elderly couple who had never heard of Vuong-as-writer reacted emotionally to his work purely as a photographer.—
Sarah Moroz,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Adverb
-
The cast around her is, by all evidence, genuinely close.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
12 May 2026
-
Both were genuinely unexpected.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
11 May 2026
Adverb
-
The Doncic absence prevents the Lakers from properly evaluating their roster against playoff competition, complicating their ability to assess key personnel needs for the offseason.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
Focus on alternative ways to cool a home, like using ceiling fans, properly insulating the house, and closing your blinds to reduce heat gain.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 May 2026
Adverb
-
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
-
Educators are no longer naively wondering if students will use generative AI to do their homework for them.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson play his targets Anna and Tom Bowden, with Anna serving as the more morally dubious of the attorney pair.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
-
Because of their inattention or intentional decision to swear or affirm loyalty to California’s Constitution, other California US Congressional candidates are legally and morally bound to both the US and California constitutions, effectively preventing effective legislation at the federal level.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 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 13 May. 2026.
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