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
Teddy Brown,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
The tax law itself is silent on whether corrective action by an innocent taxpayer can alter the limitations period once preparer fraud is discovered.
—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
How much more dangerous could a regime become than one willing to murder innocents, during peacetime, 8,500 miles away?
—
Katherine Ellison,
Washington Post,
19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Adjective
But Haaland’s enviable collection has triggered another round of discussion about men and the innocent handbag.
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Teddy Brown,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
The tax law itself is silent on whether corrective action by an innocent taxpayer can alter the limitations period once preparer fraud is discovered.
—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Noun
Practically as soon as the #MeToo movement began, it was accused of going too far—sweeping up innocents in its wake, failing to allow its targets due process.
—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
How much more dangerous could a regime become than one willing to murder innocents, during peacetime, 8,500 miles away?
—
Katherine Ellison,
Washington Post,
19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocent
Adjective
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The World Cup visitors being blown away by all that is America is pure entertainment.
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Post-split, one Comcast entity will be a pure-play entertainment content company, with NBCUniversal and Sky assets, while the other company will be a leading broadband, cable and wireless provider.
Adjective
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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.
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Chick lit was flippant and fizzy and fun, above all, as effervescent and guiltless as a vodka soda.
Adjective
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Unlike the 13 colonies, East and West Florida were largely unaffected by the British Stamp Act and other taxes that fueled resentment elsewhere because the colonies produced relatively little for the British colonial economy.
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Undergraduate lending is largely unaffected.
Adjective
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The cyclical reality awaiting ‘naive capital’ Allianz is far from the only insurer to have prospered through recent upheavals.
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But performing fealty to that naïve and impoverished picture of judging had become nearly de rigueur for both liberals and conservatives.
Adjective
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From the risk of leaks and water damage to potential electrical issues, a seemingly harmless load of laundry can occasionally turn into an expensive problem.
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Even moderate drinking carries risk and is not as harmless as people, including experts, once thought.
Adjective
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Let’s hope that George Santayana’s warning to those ignorant of history about the past repeating itself makes an exception for our present Defense Department.
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And then there are amateur collectors like me, who might not know ironstone from porcelain, but whose last day on earth could be spent touching old objects in ignorant bliss.
Noun
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Two thousand was a sign the angels were watching over me.
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The 21-year-old Islander, who made her entrance dressed as an angel, appears to spend her time horseback riding, traveling and modeling.
Adjective
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Leaders should restore clear end-to-end accountability, align on-call and incident response with the teams that ship the code, and rebuild a blameless culture.
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Schlittler wasn’t blameless in that, committing a throwing error on a pickoff play in the first inning.
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocent. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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