• IPA: /ˈɪnəsn̩t/

innocent

1. Free from guilt, sin, or immorality.
   • 1606, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, IV. iii. 16.

     to offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb to appease an angry god

   • 2018 September 26, Brian Karem, "Bethesda Resident Describes "Culture Of Privilege" Leading To Exploitation And Abuse" in The Montgomery County Sentinel

     "These were not innocent times," she said.

2. Bearing no legal responsibility for a wrongful act.
3. Naive; artless.
   • 1600, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, V. ii. 37:

     I can find out no rhyme to / 'lady' but 'baby' – an innocent rhyme;

4. (obsolete, except medicine) Not harmful; innocuous; harmless; benign.
   • 1715, Homer; [Alexander] Pope, transl., “Book XXII”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume I, London: Printed by W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott between the Temple-Gates, OCLC 670734254 ↗:

     The spear / Sung innocent, and spent its force in air.

   • 2006, David J. Driscoll, Fundamentals of Pediatric Cardiology (page 43)

     Although an innocent murmur is not an obstacle to participation in sports and exercise, a pathologic murmur may necessitate restrictions on the child's physical activity.

5. (with of) Having no knowledge (of something).
6. (with of) Lacking (something).
7. Lawful; permitted.

   an innocent trade

8. Not contraband; not subject to forfeiture.

   innocent goods carried to a belligerent nation

• (free from blame or guilt) sackless, guiltless
• (free from sin) pure, untainted
• (naive) See also Thesaurus:naive

• (bearing no legal responsibility for a wrongful act) guilty, nocent
• (naive) perverse

• innocence
• innocently
• innocuous

• French: innocent
• German: rein
• Portuguese: inocente
• Russian: неви́нный
• Spanish: inocente

• French: innocent
• German: unschuldig
• Portuguese: inocente
• Russian: невино́вный

• Portuguese: inocente
• Russian: неви́нный

• Portuguese: inocente
• Russian: неви́нный

innocent (plural innocents)

1. One who is innocent, especially a young child.

   The slaughter of the innocents was a significant event in the New Testament.

2. (obsolete) A harmless simple-minded person; an idiot.

1. Surname