innocent

1 of 2

adjective

in·​no·​cent ˈi-nə-sənt 

1

a

: free from legal guilt or fault

also : lawful

a wholly innocent transaction

b

: free from guilt or sin especially through lack of knowledge of evil : blameless

an innocent child

c

: harmless in effect or intention

… searching for a hidden motive in even the most innocent conversation.

—Leonard Wibberley

also : candid

gave me an innocent gaze

2

a

: lacking or reflecting a lack of sophistication, guile, or self-consciousness : artless, ingenuous

b

: ignorant

… almost entirely innocent of Latin.

—C. L. Wrenn

also : unaware

… perfectly innocent of the confusion he had created …

—B. R. Haydon

3

: lacking or deprived of something

… her face innocent of cosmetics …

—Marcia Davenport

innocently adverb

innocent

2 of 2

noun

plural innocents

: a person who is innocent: such as

a

: a person free from sin : a young child

the biblical massacre/slaughter of the innocents

b

: a naïve, inexperienced, or unsophisticated person

a political innocent

… during a great land boom in which immense fortunes were made and innocents like himself fleeced.

—Arthur Miller

c

: a blameless person : a person who does not deserve to be harmed

The war caused the death of thousands of innocents.

Synonyms

Adjective

• impeccable
• pure
• sinless
• white

Noun

• angel
• dove
• lamb
• sheep

Examples of innocent in a Sentence

Adjective

He says that he is innocent of the crime.

She was found innocent of all charges.

A person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Someone told your secret, but it wasn't me. I'm innocent.

Noun

an innocent who is often puzzled by and prey to the evils of the world

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Investigators believe the two men who were injured were innocent bystanders, police said. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024

The message was clear: Even if your group is defined by targeting innocent people, the Biden-Harris White House will bestow the same legitimacy upon you as any nation-state by granting you a seat at the negotiating table. —Pat Fallon, National Review, 3 Nov. 2024

Noun

East is her foil, a naive innocent raised within the strictures of Mormonism, which she's never stopped to question. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024

By contrast, the Westerners who Russia freed were seen by the U.S. as innocents — journalists and peaceful opponents to the Putin regime. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin innocent-, innocens, from in- + nocent-, nocens wicked, from present participle of nocēre to harm — more at noxious

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

innocent

adjective

in·​no·​cent ˈin-ə-sənt 

1

: free from sin : pure

2

: free from guilt or blame : guiltless

innocent of the crime

3

: free from harmful influence or effect : harmless

innocent fun

4

: naive sense 1, unsophisticated

innocent noun

innocently adverb

Medical Definition

innocent

adjective

in·​no·​cent ˈin-ə-sənt 

: lacking capacity to injure : benign

an innocent tumor

innocent heart murmurs

Legal Definition

innocent

adjective

in·​no·​cent ˈi-nə-sənt 

: characterized by innocence

Biographical Definition

Innocent

biographical name

In·​no·​cent ˈi-nə-sənt 

name of 13 popes: especially II died 1143 (pope 1130–43); III 1160(or 1161)–1216 (pope 1198–1216); IV died 1254 (pope 1243–54); XI 1611–1689 (pope 1676–89)