Innocent Definition
ĭnə-sənt
innocents
adjective
Free from sin, evil, or guilt.
Webster's New World
Knowing no evil.
Webster's New World
Not guilty of a specific crime or offense; legally blameless.
Was innocent of all charges.
American Heritage
Within, allowed by, or sanctioned by the law; lawful.
American Heritage
Not dangerous or harmful; innocuous.
An innocent prank.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
noun
innocents
A person knowing no evil or sin, such as a child.
Webster's New World
A very naive or simple-minded person.
Webster's New World
A very young child.
American Heritage
idiom
the (Holy) Innocents
- those children of Bethlehem slaughtered by King Herod: Matt. 2:16
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Innocent
Noun
Singular:
innocent
Plural:
innocentsIdioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Innocent
- the (Holy) Innocents
Origin of Innocent
-
Middle English from Old French from Latin innocēns innocent- in- not in–1 nocēns present participle of nocēre to harm nek-1 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
Old French inocent, from Latin innocens (“harmless, inoffensive”), from in- (“not”) + nocēns, present participle of noceō (“to hurt”).
From Wiktionary
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