innocent
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of INNOCENT
[more innocent; most innocent]
1
:
not guilty of a crime or other wrong act
—
opposite guilty
-
He says that he is innocent of the crime.
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She was found innocent of all charges.
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A person accused of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.
-
Someone told your secret, but it wasn't me. I'm innocent.
2
always used before a noun
:
not deserving to be harmed
-
an innocent victim
-
innocent bystanders
3
:
lacking experience with the world and the bad things that happen in life
4
:
not intended to cause harm or trouble
-
an innocent question
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I made an innocent mistake; I'm sorry.
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innocent [=harmless] fun
5
not used before a noun,
somewhat formal
:
having no knowledge of something
-
He was entirely innocent of what had happened. [=he did not know what had happened]
— innocent
noun, plural innocents [count]-
a war that caused the death of thousands of innocents [=innocent people]
-
She was an innocent when it came to romance.
— innocently
adverb-
I innocently mentioned what turned out to be a very painful topic.
-
She smiled innocently.
-
Everything started out innocently [=harmlessly] enough.
