innocent

UK: /ˈɪnəsənt/ US: /ˈɪnəsənt/ ,(in′ə sənt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

in•no•cent /ˈɪnəsənt/   adj. 

1. free from moral wrong;
   without sin;
   pure:
   the innocent children.
2. free from legal wrong;
   guiltless:
   innocent until proven guilty.
3. not involving evil intent or motive;
   harmless:
   an innocent mistake.
4. showing the simplicity of someone not accustomed to recognizing evil;
   ingenuous:
   gave her father a wide-eyed, innocent look.

n. [countable]

5. an innocent person, esp. one who has the simplicity of not recognizing evil.

in•no•cent•ly, adv. See -noc-, -nox-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

in•no•cent  (in′ə sənt), adj. 

1. free from moral wrong;
   without sin;
   pure:
   innocent children.
2. free from legal or specific wrong;
   guiltless:
   innocent of the crime.
3. not involving evil intent or motive:
   an innocent misrepresentation.
4. not causing physical or moral injury;
   harmless:
   innocent fun.
5. devoid (usually fol. by of ):
   a law innocent of merit.
6. having or showing the simplicity or naiveté of an unworldly person;
   guileless;
   ingenuous.
7. uninformed or unaware;
   ignorant.

n. 

8. an innocent person.
9. a young child.
10. a guileless person.
11. a simpleton or idiot.
12. Plant Biology Usually, innocents. (used with a sing. v.) bluet (def. 1).

• Latin innocent- (stem of innocēns) harmless, equivalent. to in- in-³ + nocēns present participle of nocēre to harm; see -ent; compare noxious
• Middle English 1150–1200

in′no•cent•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. sinless, virtuous; faultless, impeccable, spotless, immaculate.
• 2. Innocent, blameless, guiltless imply freedom from the responsibility of having done wrong.
  Innocent may imply having done no wrong at any time, and having not even a knowledge of evil:
  an innocent victim.
  Blameless denotes freedom from blame, esp. moral blame:
  a blameless life.
  Guiltless denotes freedom from guilt or responsibility for wrongdoing, usually in a particular instance:
  guiltless of a crime.
• 6. simple, naive, unsophisticated, artless.

Antonyms

• 1, 2. guilty.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

innocent / ˈɪnəsənt/ adjective

1. not corrupted or tainted with evil or unpleasant emotion; sinless; pure
2. not guilty of a particular crime; blameless
3. (postpositive) followed by of: free (of); lacking: innocent of all knowledge of history
4. harmless or innocuous: an innocent game
5. not cancerous: an innocent tumour
6. credulous, naive, or artless
7. lacking intelligence

noun

1. an innocent person, esp a young child or an ingenuous adult
2. a person who lacks wisdom or common sense

ˈinnocently adverb