1
as in pure
free from sin
an innocent baby
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in acquitted
free from guilt or blame
the robbery suspect was eventually found to be innocent
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3
as in unaffected
free from any intent to deceive or impress others
an innocent offer to sing before the gathering
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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
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5
as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
good-natured teasing that is just innocent fun
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6
as in ignorant
not informed about or aware of something
a woman who seems entirely innocent of good manners and common courtesy
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as in angel
an innocent or gentle person
an innocent who is often puzzled by and prey to the evils of the world
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of innocent
Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
Alas, one of Will’s bullets ricocheted, pierced a wall and struck innocent 14-year-old bystander Marco, who died in his arms on their way to the hospital.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 25 Mar. 2025
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2025
In Europe and the Mideast and elsewhere, violence rages and innocents die.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Adjective
Last week, Zeigler’s legal team filed a motion based on new DNA evidence that his attorneys say proves Zeigler is innocent of the quadruple murders for which he was convicted in 1976.
—Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
Alas, one of Will’s bullets ricocheted, pierced a wall and struck innocent 14-year-old bystander Marco, who died in his arms on their way to the hospital.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
Doctors have risked their lives to treat the homeless, wounded, ill, disabled and starving innocents in Gaza.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2025
In Europe and the Mideast and elsewhere, violence rages and innocents die.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocent
Adjective
-
Far too many left to get it on three without pure luck.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
-
To suggest that the cartels might import coca leaves to extract cocaine makes about as much sense as suggesting that someone would import Dom Perignon to secure by chemical processing pure extracts of ethyl alcohol.—
Wade Davis,
Rolling Stone,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There's also the chance that costs rise for items unaffected by tariffs.—
Emily Peck,
Axios,
5 Apr. 2025
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Waiting and seeing Some businesses are still in wait-and-see mode, pushing ahead with hiring plans because many of their customers appear unaffected by the charges.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The credulous faith that these superpowers will voluntarily settle for some form of peaceful coexistence, if only they are sufficiently propitiated with concessions, is naive and dangerous.—
Michael Miklaucic,
Twin Cities,
5 Apr. 2025
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Similarly naive are Trump’s and Biden’s attempts to regulate access to AI information — such as China’s AI restrictions.—
Lutz Finger,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Northern Lights in Mexico that trended on social media were technically harmless — but if an even more powerful storm strikes, pictures of the mesmerizing aurora may struggle to make it to the internet.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Compared to other insects, most ants are harmless, Hayes said, adding that, unlike mosquitoes, ants do not carry diseases that can infect humans.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Related Stories Whoever says this is unskilled work is either ignorant or lying.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Apr. 2025
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Beth and her husband Frank’s willfully ignorant marital bliss is upended when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog that belongs to Gabriel, Beth’s teenage love.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Thank you dear Lord for my forever baby, my angel Aidan.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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From philanthropy to angel investing, wealthy women are using their money to do good and proving that financial power in the right hands changes everything.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Many fans found its generally joyous treatment of Miranda’s guiltless affair with Che, a nonbinary comedian, in the first season off-putting.—
Lili Loofbourow,
Washington Post,
21 June 2023
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In the wake of Franco’s death, in 1975, came the pacto del olvido, or pact of oblivion—a determination, enshrined in the Amnesty Law of 1977, to brush away the vestiges of former crimes and hence to move onward with a guiltless transition to democracy.—
Anthony Lane,
The New Yorker,
24 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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Without further context, the statement feels hollow — lacking both accountability and a genuine acknowledgment of the culture that made the boot iconic.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Is this the genuine cargo or some wiry wisp of a Ringo impersonator?—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocent. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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