1
as in innocency
the quality or state of being free from guilt or blame
the accused embezzler eventually proved her innocence and was released
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naturalness
the quality or state of being simple and sincere
the innocence of the child's question touched everyone present
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3
as in ignorance
the state of being unaware or uninformed
in my innocence I just assumed that quoted rate was for a week's stay and not for a single night at the health spa
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4
as in purity
the quality or state of being morally pure
in Melville's novel, the sailor Billy Budd serves as a symbol of absolute innocence
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of innocence
Even after his death, motions filed in the divorce case show Pino’s legal team has maintained his innocence.
—
Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
This was not about grandstanding or a referendum on his guilt or innocence.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2025
Gaetz maintained his innocence and characterized a related House Ethics Committee investigation as a witch hunt driven by allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), whose ouster Gaetz engineered.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 6 Mar. 2025
In the first episode, the camera follows the raid, the journey to the (thankfully) nearby police precinct and the earliest interrogations, as audiences and the Miller family learn the nature of the accusation against Jamie, who consistently protests his innocence.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocence
Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
This was not about grandstanding or a referendum on his guilt or innocence.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2025
Gaetz maintained his innocence and characterized a related House Ethics Committee investigation as a witch hunt driven by allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), whose ouster Gaetz engineered.
—Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 6 Mar. 2025
In the first episode, the camera follows the raid, the journey to the (thankfully) nearby police precinct and the earliest interrogations, as audiences and the Miller family learn the nature of the accusation against Jamie, who consistently protests his innocence.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocence
Noun
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The filmmakers make easy work of granting them the agency to see their stories through, bucking a backdrop of ignorance to stand up to forces attempting to quiet the voices of impending revolution.—
Holly Jones,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2025
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Her courageous work in eastern Ukraine stands in direct contrast to Trump and Putin, who heap praise on each other and ignore the devastation to Ukraine, an ignorance that not even death and injury to women and children can penetrate.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This combines excellent varietal purity with outstanding harmony.—
Tom Hyland,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
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Supplements certified for sport provide additional reassurance that the product has been tested and verified for quality, purity, and safety.—
Melissa Nieves,
Verywell Health,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But the simplicity of the sequence of events — Smith’s shot perfectly careening off the side of the rim and Şengün’s subsequent positioning for the putback — was indicative of Houston’s rebounding prowess.—
Kelly Iko,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
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But over time, in some cities, New York among them, the totemic simplicity of a man eating a steak fell out of fashion, replaced by more heterogeneous modes of conspicuous connoisseurship: nouvelle cuisine, the auteur-chef tasting menu, the thousand-dollar omakase, the members-only supper club.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Trump has indulged in overly optimistic rhetoric about Moscow’s sincerity, and questions about his true aims linger.—
Christopher S. Chivvis,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Mar. 2025
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The pair’s smiles—seemingly so warm just moments prior—now appear painfully, alarmingly, pasted on, throwing their earlier sincerity into question.—
Naomi Fry,
The New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocence. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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