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View synonyms for

innocent

[ in-uh-suhnt ]

adjective

  1. free from moral wrong; without sin; pure:

    innocent children.

    Synonyms: , , , , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless:

    innocent of the crime.

    Antonyms:

  3. not involving evil intent or motive:

    an innocent misrepresentation.

  4. not causing physical or moral injury; harmless:

    innocent fun.

  5. devoid (usually followed by of ):

    a law innocent of merit.

  6. having or showing the simplicity or naiveté of an unworldly person; guileless; ingenuous.

    Synonyms: , , ,

  7. uninformed or unaware; ignorant.


noun

  1. an innocent person.
  2. a young child.
  3. a guileless person.
  4. a simpleton or idiot.
  5. Usually innocents. (used with a singular verb) bluet ( def 1 ).

innocent

/ ˈɪəəԳ /

adjective

  1. not corrupted or tainted with evil or unpleasant emotion; sinless; pure
  2. not guilty of a particular crime; blameless
  3. postpositivefoll byof free (of); lacking

    innocent of all knowledge of history

    1. harmless or innocuous

      an innocent game

    2. not cancerous

      an innocent tumour

  4. credulous, naive, or artless
  5. simple-minded; slow-witted
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an innocent person, esp a young child or an ingenuous adult
  2. a simple-minded person; simpleton
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈԲԴdzԳٱ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • n·Գ· adverb
  • ܲȴ-n·Գ adjective
  • quasi-n·Գ· adverb
  • p·n·Գ adjective
  • super·n·Գ· adverb
  • ܲ·n·Գ adjective
  • un·n·Գ· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of innocent1

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Latin innocent- (stem of ԲԴdzŧԲ ) “harmless,” equivalent to in- in- 3 + ԴdzŧԲ present participle of Դdzŧ “to harm”; -ent; noxious
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Synonym Study

Innocent, blameless, guiltless imply freedom from the responsibility of having done wrong. Innocent may imply having done no wrong at any time, and having not even a knowledge of evil: an innocent victim. Blameless denotes freedom from blame, especially moral blame: a blameless life. Guiltless denotes freedom from guilt or responsibility for wrongdoing, usually in a particular instance: guiltless of a crime.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She said she believes that Miller was innocent of espionage, and that he really was trying to infiltrate the KGB.

From

All words meant to make homophobic adults imagine scandalous material, but the book itself is entirely innocent, which readers can verify by watching this 3-minute video of a woman reading it, complete with the illustrations.

From

Lower eyelid surgery, inspired by the glassy gaze of anime heroines, widens the eyes for an innocent, childlike look.

From

He grows to resent how much is being asked of him and can’t shake the toll that risking innocent lives takes on his conscience.

From

Terry Deary, who created Horrible Histories, believes Corder has been "maligned" with Maria incorrectly portrayed as an innocent young maiden.

From

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