innocent 1 of 2

adjective

ˈi-nə-sənt How to pronounce innocent (audio)
Definition of innocentnext
1
as in pure
free from sin an innocent baby

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in acquitted
free from guilt or blame the robbery suspect was eventually found to be innocent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unaffected
free from any intent to deceive or impress others an innocent offer to sing before the gathering

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment an innocent young woman who felt a little out of place among her more sophisticated roommates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt good-natured teasing that is just innocent fun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in ignorant
not informed about or aware of something a woman who seems entirely innocent of good manners and common courtesy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

innocent

2 of 2

noun

as in angel
an innocent or gentle person an innocent who is often puzzled by and prey to the evils of the world

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of innocent
Adjective
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office announced Friday that three City of Miami police officers would not be facing any criminal charges after a 2025 shooting outside a Wynwood nightclub that left an armed man and an innocent female bystander dead. — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Busfield, who has insisted be was innocent of the charges, was released from custody pending trial. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
Whatever conclusions investigators might reach, the loss of at least 50 souls, and the wounding of dozens more innocents, is an unbearable blow for any community. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026 In his work, women were still ethereal innocents who had yet to become believable human beings. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for innocent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocent
  1. pure
  2. guiltless
  3. unaffected
  4. naive
  5. harmless
  6. ignorant
  7. angel
  8. blameless
Adjective
  • Cringe may be excruciating, but post-cringe would be pure horror.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This gift box contains eight bars, spanning from 58 to 80% cacao, in flavors like banana foster and green tea crunch for the adventurous and pink sea salt or pure cacao, dates, and vanilla for the purists.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pure
Adjective
  • In any year, in any culture, there are no antagonists (save for Nazis) better suited as action cinema heavies; rooting against child trafficking lowlifes is moral, easy, and best of all, a completely guiltless pleasure.
    — Andy Crump, IndieWire, 15 June 2026
  • Chick lit was flippant and fizzy and fun, above all, as effervescent and guiltless as a vodka soda.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 4 May 2026
Definition of guiltless
Adjective
  • Researchers have long wondered why some people develop these reactions while others seem to skate by unaffected.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Today, Putin follows essentially the same model, seeking to erode allies’ confidence in NATO’s Article 5 by relying on tactics that fall below the threshold of a conventional warfare and leave unaffected members hesitant to respond.
    — Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of unaffected
Adjective
  • Sutskever is portrayed as the idealistic, naive hero — the ingenious mind behind the lab’s entire existence who can’t stomach lying and is reluctant to accumulate any power.
    — Hayden Field, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Rebecca and Verity, which stars Johnson, are also about a new, naïve lover entering the home of a bad man with a wife hidden in his house of horrors.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of naive
Adjective
  • Attackers use it to control who reaches their malicious content while showing something harmless to other visitors.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Shortly before midnight, the squad determined the bags were harmless and contained no explosives, Anderson said.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of harmless
Adjective
  • Some people in the White House treated Jackie as a cipher, ignorant of almost everything happening.
    — Laurence Leamer, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
  • And in a world increasingly populated by people who are absolutely certain that everyone who disagrees with them is either ignorant or immoral, our universities could use considerably more of all three.
    — Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignorant
Noun
  • The poor, sweet, innocent angel of a chef, who was so proud to be able to share his menu with his world leader guests, only for Grace to stalk away mid-recitation?
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Those were the good cop and bad cop on his shoulder, or the devil and the angel on his shoulder, throughout his time.
    — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of angel
Adjective
  • Yet this particular Jason underscores the tragedy playing out for all the others, who are blameless and worthy, guilty only of not being the original.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Red Sox weren’t exactly blameless in the Devers saga, and the whole thing could’ve been avoided with better communication between player and franchise.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of blameless

Browse Nearby Words

innocency
innocent
innocently
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocent. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on innocent

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about innocent

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vocation

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All