in·no·cent
ˈi-nə-sənt
1
a
: free from legal guilt or fault
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
2
3
: lacking or deprived of something
… her face innocent of cosmetics …—Marcia Davenport
innocently
adverb
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.
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innocent. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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