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.
–noun
8.
an innocent person.
9.
a young child.
10.
a guileless person.
11.
a simpleton or idiot.
12.
Usually, innocents.(used with a singular verb) bluet(def. 1).
[Origin: 1150–1200; ME < L innocent- (s. of innocéns) harmless, equiv. to in-in-3+ nocéns prp. of nocére to harm; see -ent; cf. noxious]
—Related forms
in·no·cent·ly, adverb
—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.
Uncorrupted by evil, malice, or wrongdoing; sinless: an innocent child.
Not guilty of a specific crime or offense; legally blameless: was innocent of all charges.
Within, allowed by, or sanctioned by the law; lawful.
Not dangerous or harmful; innocuous: an innocent prank.
Candid; straightforward: a child's innocent stare.
Not experienced or worldly; naive.
Betraying or suggesting no deception or guile; artless.
Not exposed to or familiar with something specified; ignorant: American tourists wholly innocent of French.
Unaware: She remained innocent of the complications she had caused.
Not dangerous or harmful; innocuous: an innocent prank.
Candid; straightforward: a child's innocent stare.
Not experienced or worldly; naive.
Betraying or suggesting no deception or guile; artless.
Not exposed to or familiar with something specified; ignorant: American tourists wholly innocent of French.
Unaware: She remained innocent of the complications she had caused.
Not experienced or worldly; naive.
Betraying or suggesting no deception or guile; artless.
Not exposed to or familiar with something specified; ignorant: American tourists wholly innocent of French.
Unaware: She remained innocent of the complications she had caused.
Not exposed to or familiar with something specified; ignorant: American tourists wholly innocent of French.
Unaware: She remained innocent of the complications she had caused.
Lacking, deprived, or devoid of something: a novel innocent of literary merit.
n.
A person, especially a child, who is free of evil or sin.
A simple, guileless, inexperienced, or unsophisticated person.
A very young child.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin innocēns, innocent- : in-, not; see in-1 + nocēns, present participle of nocēre, to harm; see nek-1 in Indo-European roots.]
1340, "doing no evil, free from sin or guilt," from O.Fr. innocent (11c.), from L. innocentem (nom. innocens) "not guilty, harmless, blameless," from in- "not" + nocentem (nom. nocens), prp. of nocere "to harm." Meaning "free from guilt of a crime or charge" is from 1382. The earliest use was as a noun, "person who is innocent of sin or evil" (c.1200).
lacking in sophistication or worldliness; "a child's innocent stare"; "his ingenuous explanation that he would not have burned the church if he had not thought the bishop was in it"
5.
not knowledgeable about something specified; "American tourists wholly innocent of French"; "a person unacquainted with our customs"
6.
completely wanting or lacking; "writing barren of insight"; "young recruits destitute of experience"; "innocent of literary merit"; "the sentence was devoid of meaning" [syn: barren]
7.
(used of things) lacking sense or awareness; "fine innocent weather"
In"no*cence\, n. [F. innocence, L. innocentia. See Innocent.]1. The state or quality of being innocent; freedom from that which is harmful or infurious; harmlessness. 2. The state or quality of being morally free from guilt or sin; purity of heart; blamelessness. The silence often of pure innocence Persuades when speaking fails. --Shak. Banished from man's life his happiest life, Simplicity and spotless innocence! --Milton. 3. The state or quality of being not chargeable for, or guilty of, a particular crime or offense; as, the innocence of the prisoner was clearly shown. 4. Simplicity or plainness, bordering on weakness or silliness; artlessness; ingenuousness. --Chaucer. Shak. Syn: Harmlessness; innocuousness; blamelessness; purity; sinlessness; guiltlessness.
In"no*cent\, a. [F. innocent, L. innocens, -entis; pref. in- not + nocens, p. pr. of nocere to harm, hurt. See Noxious.]1. Not harmful; free from that which can injure; innoxious; innocuous; harmless; as, an innocent medicine or remedy. The spear Sung innocent,and spent its force in air. --Pope. 2. Morally free from guilt; guiltless; not tainted with sin; pure; upright. To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb. --Shak. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. --Matt. xxvii. 4. The aidless,innocent lady, his wished prey. --Milton. 3. Free from the guilt of a particular crime or offense; as, a man is innocent of the crime charged. Innocent from the great transgression. --Ps. xix. 13. 4. Simple; artless; foolish. --Shak. 5. Lawful; permitted; as, an innocent trade. 6. Not contraband; not subject to forfeiture; as, innocent goods carried to a belligerent nation. Innocent party (Law),a party who has not notice of a fact tainting a litigated transaction with illegality. Syn: Harmless; innoxious; innoffensive; guiltless; spotless; immaculate; pure; unblamable; blameless; faultless; guileless; upright.
In"no*cent\, n. 1. An innocent person; one free from, or unacquainted with, guilt or sin. --Shak. 2. An unsophisticated person; hence, a child; a simpleton; an idiot. --B. Jonson. In Scotland a natural fool was called an innocent. --Sir W. Scott. Innocents' day (Eccl.), Childermas day.
In*noc"u*ous\, a. [L. innocuus; in- not + nocuus hurtful, fr. nocere to hurt. See Innocent.] Harmless; producing no ill effect; innocent. A patient, innocuous, innocent man. --Burton. -- In*noc"u*ous*ly, adv. -- In*noc"u*ous*ness, n. Where the salt sea innocuously breaks. --Wordsworth.
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