1
as in pure
free from sin
an innocent baby
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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
Staff and Wire Reports, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Now an innocent woman has been killed by an ICE agent.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
His only companion is his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), a young innocent who just wants to help Teddy, who serves as a Greek chorus/audience surrogate (and a representative of Lanthimos’ interest in childlike adults).
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Adjective
Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn't hit by a car, wasn't being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman.
—Noun
Her version of the middle-aged matron was a gentle innocent who faced the world with an unself-conscious enthusiasm.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocent
Adjective
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Just the pure joy of motion and music.—
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That verisimilitude functioned as a solvent, lending credibility and urgency to elements of the show that might otherwise register as pure cheese; the medical realism and sentimental flourishes were mutually reinforcing.—
Adjective
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Its orange light is the result of an atmospheric effect called Rayleigh Scattering, wherein particles deflect the bluer wavelengths of light reflected from the lunar surface, while allowing redder wavelengths to pass through relatively unaffected.—
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First, Erickson highlighted that AWS has the most diversified and hedged revenue sources, with its core business largely unaffected by generative AI and not a competitor of ChatGPT maker OpenAI.—
Adjective
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Russia is a tyranny, which makes some of us feel naive.—
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Some biologists believe that as much as 25 percent of the diet of some coyote packs in LA in the naive 1980s was human food.—
Adjective
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The infection develops when usually harmless bacteria travel through the respiratory tract and infiltrate the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, causing severe inflammation.—
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By adjusting a typical polymer synthesis to work in water, the researchers created the gas-permeable polymer polynorbornene, which is harmless to plants but which weakens the cell membranes of a various harmful bacteria.—
Adjective
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On its face, the government's defense appears to be that the individuals behind these statements are ignorant or incompetent, or both.—
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The citizens of Oz are treated as no more than an undifferentiated crowd of extras, an ignorant and finally disposable monolith.—
Noun
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For it is He who created the angels, and thus Memnoch, a fallen angel, who God basically sees as the loyal opposition.—
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The handsewn and carefully backstitched quilts feature colorful images of buffalo heads, turtles, eagles, angels and other patterns that come to Water in her dreams.—
Adjective
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And how many guiltless prisoners there are here!—
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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.—
Adjective
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Nothing wrong with a little fantasy, but this year’s astrology asks us to stop romanticizing potential and start paying attention to what feels genuine, reciprocal and enduring.—
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The tears in Yang’s eyes appeared genuine.—
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocent. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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