If someone is innocent, they did not commit a crime which they have been accused of.
He was sure that the man was innocent of any crime. [+ of]
The police knew from day one that I was innocent.
Synonyms: not guilty, in the clear, blameless, clear More Synonyms of innocent
2. adjective
If someone is innocent, they have no experience or knowledge of the more complex or unpleasant aspects of life.
They seemed so young and innocent.
He's curiously innocent about what this means to other people.
Synonyms: naive, open, trusting, simple More Synonyms of innocent
An innocent is someone who is innocent.
Ian was a hopeless innocent where women were concerned.
innocentlyadverb [usually ADVERB with verb]
The baby gurgled innocently on the bed.
3. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Innocent people are those who are not involved in a crime or conflict, but are injured or killed as a result of it.
All those wounded were innocent victims.
The war was killing innocent women and children.
4. adjective
An innocent question, remark, or comment is not intended to offend or upset people, even if it does so.
It was a perfectly innocent question.
More Synonyms of innocent
innocent in British English
(ˈɪnəsənt)
adjective
1.
not corrupted or tainted with evil or unpleasant emotion; sinless; pure
2.
not guilty of a particular crime; blameless
3. (postpositive; foll byof)
free (of); lacking
innocent of all knowledge of history
4.
a.
harmless or innocuous
an innocent game
b.
not cancerous
an innocent tumour
5.
credulous, naive, or artless
6. archaic or dialect
lacking intelligence
noun
7.
an innocent person, esp a young child or an ingenuous adult
8.
a person who lacks wisdom or common sense
Derived forms
innocently (ˈinnocently)
adverb
Innocent in American English
(ˈɪnəsənt)
1.
Saint Innocent I(died a.d. 417); pope (401-417): his day is July 28
2.
Innocent II(born Gregorio Papareschi) died 1143; pope (1130-43)
3.
Innocent III(born Lotario de' Conti de' Segni) 1161?-1216; pope (1198-1216)
4.
Innocent IV(born Sinibaldo de' Fieschi) died 1254; pope (1243-54)
5.
Innocent XI(born Benedetto Odeschalchi) 1611-89; pope (1676-89)
innocent in American English
(ˈinəsənt)
adjective
1.
free from moral wrong; without sin; pure
innocent children
2.
free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless
innocent of the crime
3.
not involving evil intent or motive
an innocent misrepresentation
4.
not causing physical or moral injury; harmless
innocent fun
5. (usually fol. by of)
devoid
a law innocent of merit
6.
having or showing the simplicity or naiveté of an unworldly person; guileless; ingenuous
7.
uninformed or unaware; ignorant
noun
8.
an innocent person
9.
a young child
10.
a guileless person
11.
a person of low intelligence
12. (usually innocents; used with a sing. v.) "> bluet (sense 1)
Derived forms
innocently
adverb
Word origin
[1150–1200; ME ‹ L innocent- (s. of innocēns) harmless, equiv. to in-in-3 + nocēns prp. of nocēre to harm; see -ent; cf. noxious]
Examples of 'innocent' in a sentence
innocent
How many innocent people could have been hurt or killed in that time?
The Sun (2016)
This has led to the death of a wholly innocent young man.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Watch out for those innocent civilians.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Under British justice we are all innocent until proved guilty.
The Sun (2016)
We don't want innocent people convicted.
The Sun (2016)
Anyone who does it is well aware that they are risking their own life and liberty and the life of any innocent who gets in their way.
The Sun (2016)
We hope Britain remembers that he has emerged from his two-year trauma an entirely innocent man.
The Sun (2016)
Why should his name be tarnished if he has been proved innocent?
The Sun (2013)
How can you argue with the impulse to save innocent life?
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
What they do causes great inconvenience to innocent people.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The naive and innocent are lured away by unscrupulous agents.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
What happened to innocent until proven guilty?
The Sun (2016)
This was an appalling crime carried out on an innocent young woman.
The Sun (2007)
What is innocent in one country might mean something quite different in another.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They will consider the issue of innocent until proven guilty.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We stand in solidarity with them in condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people.
The Sun (2016)
The young are innocent and disorganised but nobody can stop them.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We need urgently to decide what behaviour is permissible in our streets to deter youth crime without penalising innocent play.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She is one of life 's innocents.
The Sun (2012)
In other languages
innocent
British English: innocent /ˈɪnəsənt/ ADJECTIVE
If someone is innocent, they did not commit a crime which they have been accused of.
He was sure that the man was innocent of any crime.
American English: innocent
Arabic: بَرِيءٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: inocente
Chinese: 无辜的
Croatian: nevin
Czech: nevinný
Danish: uskyldig
Dutch: onschuldig
European Spanish: inocente
Finnish: syytön
French: innocent
German: unschuldig
Greek: αθώος
Italian: innocente
Japanese: 潔白な
Korean: 순결한
Norwegian: uskyldig
Polish: niewinny
European Portuguese: inocente
Romanian: inocent
Russian: невиновный
Latin American Spanish: inocente
Swedish: oskyldig
Thai: ไร้เดียงสา
Turkish: masum
Ukrainian: невинний
Vietnamese: ngây thơ
All related terms of 'innocent'
Innocent II
original name Gregorio Papareschi. died 1143, pope (1130–43). He condemned Abelard's teachings
Innocent IV
original name Sinibaldo de' Fieschi. died 1254, pope (1243–54); an unrelenting enemy of Emperor Frederick II and his heirs
Innocent III
original name Giovanni Lotario de' Conti. ?1161–1216, pope (1198–1216), under whom the temporal power of the papacy reached its height. He instituted the Fourth Crusade (1202) and a crusade against the Albigenses (1208), and called the fourth Lateran Council (1215)
innocent child
A child is a human being who is not yet an adult .
innocent bystander
A bystander is a person who is present when something happens and who sees it but does not take part in it.
Chinese translation of 'innocent'
innocent
(ˈɪnəsnt)
adj
(= not guilty) 清白的 (qīngbái de)
(= naive)[child, person]单(單)纯(純)的 (dānchún de)
(= not involved) 无(無)辜的 (wúgū de)
[remark, question]无(無)恶(惡)意的 (wú èyì de)
n(c)
(= naive person) 幼稚的人 (yòuzhì de rén) (个(個), gè)
to be innocent of a crime无(無)罪 (wúzuì)
to play the innocent假装(裝)无(無)知 (jiǎzhuāng wúzhī)
1 (adjective)
Definition
not guilty of a particular crime
The police knew from day one that I was innocent.
Synonyms
not guilty
in the clear
blameless
a blameless life
clear
I can look back on things with a clear conscience.
clean
He wore his cleanest slacks and a navy blazer.
honest
faultless
squeaky-clean
uninvolved
irreproachable
a man of irreproachable views
guiltless
You are hardly guiltless in this matter yourself, you know.
unoffending
Opposites
guilty
,
responsible
,
culpable
,
blameworthy
2 (adjective)
They seemed so young and innocent.
Synonyms
naive
He's so naive he'll believe anything I tell him.
open
trusting
simple
He was as simple as a child.
natural
Jan's sister was as natural and friendly as the rest of the family.
frank
They had a frank discussion about the issue.
confiding
candid
a candid account of her life in the limelight
unaffected
this unaffected, charming couple
childlike
She had never lost her childlike sense of wonder.
gullible
I'm so gullible I believed him.
unpretentious
unsophisticated
He was quite unsophisticated in the ways of the world.
unworldly
Stephen is a little unworldly about such matters.
credulous
Children can be credulous and accept what they are told.
artless
his artless air and charming smile
ingenuous
He seemed too ingenuous for a reporter.
guileless
She was so guileless that he had no option but to believe her.
wet behind the ears (informal)
unsuspicious
Opposites
worldly
,
sophisticated
,
artful
,
disingenuous
3 (adjective)
Definition
harmless or innocuous
It was probably an innocent question, but he got very flustered.
Synonyms
harmless
He seemed harmless enough.
innocuous
Both mushrooms look innocuous, but are in fact deadly.
inoffensive
He's a mild, inoffensive man.
well-meant
unobjectionable
unmalicious
well-intentioned
Opposites
offensive
,
harmful
,
malicious
,
evil
,
wicked
,
iniquitous
4 (adjective)
Definition
without experience of evil
the innocent child
Synonyms
pure
pure and chaste thoughts
stainless
immaculate
her immaculate reputation
moral
The committee members are moral, competent people.
virgin
Some societies still place value on the tradition of virgin brides.
decent
upright
a very upright, trustworthy man
impeccable
You really have impeccable taste in clothes.
righteous
She concluded that it was impossible to find one righteous person.
pristine
pristine white shirts
wholesome
It was all good, wholesome fun.
spotless
Every morning cleaners make sure everything is spotless.
demure
chaste
chaste thoughts
unblemished
his unblemished reputation as a man of honour and principle
virginal
linen tablecloths of virginal white
unsullied
the combined talents of intellect, experience and unsullied reputation
sinless
incorrupt
Opposites
corrupt
,
immoral
,
dishonest
,
sinful
,
impure
(noun)
Definition
an innocent person, esp. a young child or a naive adult
He was a hopeless innocent in the political world.