innocent

1 of 2

adjective

in·​no·​cent ˈi-nə-sənt How to pronounce innocent (audio)
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.

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In most cases, the school resource officer looks through their bags and pulls out an innocent metal water bottle, hairspray canister, or eyeglass case. Caroline Beck, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Mar. 2024 Late last month, a judge in Los Angeles declared Mr. Coleman an innocent man, a few weeks after he was paroled. Tim Arango, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 There was this whole read across the industry of guilty until proven innocent. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 Everybody's in favor of helping innocent civilians who are caught in the crossfire of any conflict. CBS News, 10 Mar. 2024 Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children. USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 On Wednesday, Judge William C. Ryan declared the men factually innocent, wiping out their murder convictions. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Kazan deftly manages to convey Sister’s James struggle between innocent naivety and the loss of inner light that comes with considering ugly possible truths. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 An iconic Mass Appeal cover from 2013 depicted Miller walking barefoot alongside Q on train tracks in a hauntingly lovely and innocent image. Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
The examples of the gratuitous killing of civilians in Gaza are already numerous, and further instances of the Israeli government’s relaxed attitude to the deaths of innocents will surely come to light after the war. Avner Gvaryahu, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2024 While Damien isn't yet around to shove innocents off of balconies, something eerie is certainly afoot in our first extended look at his origins. Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Jan. 2024 Sharing my deep dismay at what people think is acceptable to clothe even innocents, the host asked what my plans were going forward. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 7 Feb. 2024 The region has been aflame since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, murdering 1,200 Israelis, kidnapping hundreds more, and spiriting away the innocents into an underground hell. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 19 Jan. 2024 The neighbors expressed sadness for the suffering of the innocents on both sides. Joyce Kamanitz, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024 Images: Zuma Press/AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly The hostage deal that Israel and Hamas reached Tuesday will spare the lives of some 50 Israelis, and that is a great relief to the innocents and their families. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2023 No sooner does a heavily armed Haitian gang fire on a hospital in Port-au-Prince brimming with mothers and babies, than a Mexican cartel stages a deadly drone bomb attack on a small community of innocents in Guerrero. Tim Padgett, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024 As the war proceeds, the IDF should pursue its aims—which Israelis overwhelmingly endorse—as quickly as possible while minimizing collateral damage and the injury of innocents. Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'innocent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of innocent was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near innocent

Cite this Entry

“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innocent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

innocent

adjective
in·​no·​cent ˈin-ə-sənt How to pronounce innocent (audio)
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
innocent noun
innocently adverb

Medical Definition

innocent

adjective
in·​no·​cent ˈin-ə-sənt How to pronounce innocent (audio)
: lacking capacity to injure : benign
an innocent tumor
innocent heart murmurs

Legal Definition

innocent

adjective
in·​no·​cent ˈi-nə-sənt How to pronounce innocent (audio)
: characterized by innocence

Biographical Definition

Innocent

biographical name

In·​no·​cent ˈi-nə-sənt How to pronounce Innocent (audio)
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on innocent

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