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 Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026 It was innocently posted by motorsports reporter Cole Cusumano, who was there covering the race. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 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 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 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 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocently
  1. sincerely
  2. chastely
  3. openly
  4. purely
  5. genuinely
  6. properly
  7. naively
  8. morally
Adverb
  • Here was a government that had explicitly borrowed from Beijing’s developmental playbook and sincerely attempted to imitate it, but failed.
    — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • My favorite depictions of this city know its real history is too cuckoo to capture sincerely; straight reenactments make the production of 35mm masterpieces look as piddly as Shrinky Dinks.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 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
  • Both of the soon-to-be newlyweds have talked openly about wanting to have kids.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • On top of that, Kelce appeared on the cover of GQ magazine and spoke openly about his and Swift’s relationship for the first time with a major publication.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 3 July 2026
Definition of openly
Adverb
  • Relationship researchers have identified a handful of reliable markers that distinguish a partnership still animated by active connection from one sustained purely by structure and habit.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Whether this move is seen as a win in the case of national security concerns or purely to target Chinese goods is secondary.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 July 2026
Definition of purely
Adverb
  • So, while certain claims about the recent test appear to be hyperbolic, this is genuinely an impressive technical achievement for the team behind it.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
  • Spontaneous travel or conversation with someone from a different background could be genuinely enlightening.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of genuinely
Adverb
  • The chronic disease, which impairs the body’s ability to properly regulate blood sugar, contributed to 94,445 deaths that year.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Consoles, controllers, accessories, weird VR gloves that never worked properly, but mostly the games themselves.
    — David Pierce, The Verge, 2 July 2026
Definition of properly
Adverb
  • When the United States invaded the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, Twain naively imagined that the country would be liberated and turned into a republic.
    — Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • 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.
    — Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026
Definition of naively
Adverb
  • Man oppressed woman legally, economically, socially, educationally, morally, professionally and religiously.
    — Brian DeLay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • The laws might prevent what some people believe is morally right, or command – in the name of protecting others’ rights or the common good – what others regard as unjust or unholy.
    — Robert A. Ballingall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of morally

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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 8 Jul. 2026.

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