1
as in pure
free from sin
an innocent baby
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in acquitted
free from guilt or blame
the robbery suspect was eventually found to be innocent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unaffected
free from any intent to deceive or impress others
an innocent offer to sing before the gathering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
good-natured teasing that is just innocent fun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in ignorant
not informed about or aware of something
a woman who seems entirely innocent of good manners and common courtesy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in angel
an innocent or gentle person
an innocent who is often puzzled by and prey to the evils of the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of innocent
Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
Against all odds, a courageous team of zookeepers and volunteers risked their lives to embark on a seemingly impossible mission: bringing these innocent creatures to safety.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 July 2025
Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
No acknowledgment of the innocents — including U.S. citizens — swept up in some of the Trump administration’s indiscriminate raids.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Adjective
Both the President and I agreed that all information cannot be put out there because some innocent people had access to Epstein, and their lives could be badly damaged if proper context is lacking.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
Against all odds, a courageous team of zookeepers and volunteers risked their lives to embark on a seemingly impossible mission: bringing these innocent creatures to safety.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 July 2025
Noun
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is awaiting trial at The Hague for crimes against humanity, over a brutal war on drug dealers that killed possibly thousands of people, including many innocents and bystanders, with barely any kind of due process.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
No acknowledgment of the innocents — including U.S. citizens — swept up in some of the Trump administration’s indiscriminate raids.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocent
Adjective
-
Hydration is key When working in the heat, avoid sugary drinks and opt for pure water or water with electrolytes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 July 2025
-
Happening in early May, the festival’s events are pure Americana.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
But Lacan comes in with a fresh slate, unaffected by the team’s struggles through the early part of the season.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
5 July 2025
-
The bottom 20% of earners are largely unaffected by either policy, as they already aren’t taxed on Social Security payments and largely have their tax liability wiped out through other deductions before the senior tax deduction would apply.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Even Portugal, who have been naive defensively but have considerable pace in attack, could threaten in transition, and Italy will need to shore up that element of their game to avoid being caught out.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
-
How did an obscure, scientifically naive mining society discover the wheel, when highly advanced civilizations, such as the ancient Egyptians, did not?—
Kai James,
JSTOR Daily,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
In fact, the idea for the project began to take shape after Bad Shabbos producer Adam Mitchell heard about Weiner’s mother playing a harmless prank on an unsuspecting dinner guest.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
-
Mites in other stages of the life cycle aren’t parasitic, so adults are harmless to humans.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
Consequently, many of those enslaved in Texas remained ignorant of the proclamation’s potential impact on their lives, or of the fact the Civil War had functionally ended two months earlier.—
Timothy Welbeck,
The Conversation,
16 June 2025
-
Careless or ignorant reporting has obscured objective reality.—
Nicholas DiMarzio,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
The shepherds were visited by an angel and guided to the infant king.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
-
Showrunner Tony Tost was truly an angel, and everyone on board were such freak-ass nerds about TV and cinema, and were so excited to share all these reference points with me, like Colombo.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
And how many guiltless prisoners there are here!—
Alexei Navalny,
The New Yorker,
11 Oct. 2024
-
Many fans found its generally joyous treatment of Miranda’s guiltless affair with Che, a nonbinary comedian, in the first season off-putting.—
Lili Loofbourow,
Washington Post,
21 June 2023
Adjective
-
Plaintiff Phone Discovery: Critical Strategic Elements Successful phone discovery requires understanding several strategic elements that can significantly improve outcomes: The Education Component: Many resistance issues stem from genuine misunderstanding about what cell phone forensics involves.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
Whether a genuine belief or a strategic alliance, Drake’s claim places him firmly in the heart of a cultural tug-of-war.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocent. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share