innocence
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of INNOCENCE
[noncount]
:
the state of being innocent: such as
a
:
the state of being not guilty of a crime or other wrong act
—
opposite guilt
-
The defendant maintained/protested his innocence. [=he said that he was not guilty]
-
He vows that he will prove his innocence in court.
b
:
lack of experience with the world and with the bad things that happen in life
-
the trusting innocence of childhood
-
The age of innocence was over.
c
somewhat formal
:
lack of knowledge about something
-
Your innocence [=(more commonly) ignorance] of the rules is no excuse for such behavior.
-
I mentioned in all innocence what turned out to be a very painful topic for her. [=I mentioned the topic without knowing that it was so painful for her to talk about it]
