1
as in innocency
the quality or state of being free from guilt or blame
the accused embezzler eventually proved her innocence and was released
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2
as in naturalness
the quality or state of being simple and sincere
the innocence of the child's question touched everyone present
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3
as in ignorance
the state of being unaware or uninformed
in my innocence I just assumed that quoted rate was for a week's stay and not for a single night at the health spa
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4
as in purity
the quality or state of being morally pure
in Melville's novel, the sailor Billy Budd serves as a symbol of absolute innocence
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of innocence
Lanez has maintained his innocence despite a jury believing Megan Thee Stallion’s retelling of the events that followed a party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home in December 2022.
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Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Hamilton and Barroso spoke at the sentencing Wednesday and maintained their innocence.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Club sources previously consulted by The Athletic pointed to the presumption of innocence — a key principle of criminal law in Spain enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — when asked about Asencio’s situation.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 17 May 2025
The beginning of the finale reveals that the explosion originated in the laundry room, where Graham was trying to declare his innocence to Donnie and Crystal (Destiny Hernandez).
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocence
Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Hamilton and Barroso spoke at the sentencing Wednesday and maintained their innocence.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 21 May 2025
Club sources previously consulted by The Athletic pointed to the presumption of innocence — a key principle of criminal law in Spain enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — when asked about Asencio’s situation.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 17 May 2025
The beginning of the finale reveals that the explosion originated in the laundry room, where Graham was trying to declare his innocence to Donnie and Crystal (Destiny Hernandez).
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocence
Noun
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But this also speaks to the ignorance of those doing the projecting, who disregarded (in the case of Documenta 15) the complexities and nuances of Indonesian art, cultural policy, and history over the past thirty years.—
Diedrich Diederichsen,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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One of the key themes of Part II is the fact that everyone is only seeing things from their perspective; all these characters who are suffering loss and passing that suffering on to others are doing so in ignorance.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Iran currently enriches uranium to 60% purity, close to weapons-grade levels, making the negotiations urgent.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Right now, Iran is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, well beyond the confines of the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.—
Trey Yingst,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Listen to this article MIAMI — The Miami Heat’s approach to free agency last summer was simplicity, that Jimmy Butler would return hungry for an extension, the core would meet Pat Riley’s mandate of elevated attendance, Jaime Jaquez Jr. would make sophomore strides.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2025
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Bronwen Sciortino, author & simplicity expert teaching easy ways to tailor-make healthy, happy & highly successful lives.—
Bronwen Sciortino,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
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Chloe is successful, tightly wound and over-calculating to the extent that doubting her sincerity is unavoidable.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2025
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Read: The sincerity and absurdity of Hollywood’s best action franchise As a grand valediction to a long-running storyline, the self-reflexiveness makes some sense.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocence. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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