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
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
Participating gas stations innocently suggest using points to lower your out-of-pocket cost at the pump.
—Sarah Hostetler, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
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
Participating gas stations innocently suggest using points to lower your out-of-pocket cost at the pump.
—Sarah Hostetler, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocently
Adverb
-
The Lebanese government sincerely wants to take control of the south and disarm and contain Hezbollah.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Still, the energy around physical media continues to surge in sincerely exciting new ways.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And a president openly threatening to commit war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran—and floating preemptive strikes against Cuba.—
John Whitehead,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
-
One source speculated that the portraits of the Bezoses may have been inspired by Condé journalists openly dreading the prospect of the billionaires owning Vogue and having Sánchez calling the shots.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Rather than learning purely from real-world trial and error, these systems absorb the rules of physics through simulation, practicing in digital environments where failure is cheap and fast.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
From a purely political standpoint, none of the sextet scored some point that will reverberate enough to change the dynamics of the campaign.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The gains were driven by a healthier mix of genuinely new customers coming in and fewer existing ones walking out.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The combination of a well-mannered dog and a genuinely kind stranger created a feel-good moment that viewers kept sharing and commenting on.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Armed federal agents broke down the door while executing a warrant for someone else, and rounded up the people inside without properly determining whether Juan was a flight risk or a danger to the community, said Lear, his immigration attorney.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Ahead, garden experts discuss the reasons why soap can effectively deter deer and offer guidance on how to use it properly.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Educators are no longer naively wondering if students will use generative AI to do their homework for them.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Many Marylanders naively believed BGE was simply doing the community a favor.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
This doesn’t mean that unique phrases can be stolen with impunity, or even that people shouldn’t feel morally obligated to acknowledge the sources of their inspiration.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This is something morally maybe wrong.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
24 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
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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 29 Apr. 2026.
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