adj
innocent
IH-nuh-suhnt
adj
1
Free of guilt or wrongdoing; not responsible for a crime or bad act.
"The jury found him innocent after the real culprit confessed."
"The suspect was innocent; she was not even in the building that night."
2
Not intended to cause harm or offense; harmless.
"It was an innocent mistake, not a deliberate insult."
"He asked an innocent question, unaware it would upset her."
3
Naive or unaware of the world, especially in a childlike way.
"Toddlers have an innocent trust in everyone around them."
noun
1
A person, especially a child, who is free of guilt or worldly corruption.
"War always claims its share of innocents."
How to Use Innocent
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot guilty of doing anything wrong, or (for people) unworldly and trusting.
Common mistake
Legally innocent means "not proven guilty," not necessarily "did nothing at all" — that distinction matters in courtroom contexts.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
innocent until proven guilty
innocent bystander
innocent mistake
plead innocent
Word Forms
more innocent comparative, innocents plural, Innocents plural, most innocent superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “innocent”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The jury found him _____ after the real culprit confessed.
Etymology
From Old French innocent, based on Latin innocens, literally "not harming" — in- ("not") plus nocens ("harming"), from the verb nocere, "to hurt."