adjective / noun
innocent
IN-uh-sunt/ˈɪnəsnt/
Free from involvement in wrongdoing.
The photo shows that the accused adult is innocent.
Etymology
“Not” and “to harm” give the underlying idea of doing no harm or evil. In the selected sense, this is freedom from blame for wrongdoing or a particular crime.
In context
If you're innocent of a crime, call your lawyer. Don't never open your mouth for anything because what they're going to do is they're going to make a story around what you said
More examples
- She insists she is innocent of the theft.
- The investigation clears two innocents who were wrongly accused.
- Both children are innocent; the dog knocked over the lamp.
Forms
innocent · innocents · more innocent · most innocent
innocence noun — The state of being free from guilt.
Similar words
- blameless
- Emphasizes freedom from fault, not just involvement in wrongdoing.
- guiltless
- Directly denies guilt, often with a more formal tone.