Word
innocent
Phoneticsin·no·cent, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɪnəsənt/
UK/ˈɪnəsənt/
Definitions
01not guilty of a crime
B1 · Intermediate Law
adj. not guilty of a particular crime or bad action.
adj. bearing no legal or moral responsibility for a specific wrongful act.
“The jury found the man innocent after seeing the new evidence.”
“The defendant was declared innocent of all charges after DNA evidence conclusively proved he was not at the scene of the crime.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'of'.
Synonyms
02not harmful
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. not intended to cause harm or upset, even if it does.
adj. lacking harmful intent or malicious motive; innocuous in nature.
“It was an innocent mistake, and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.”
“What began as an innocent remark about the weather was unfortunately misinterpreted as a sarcastic critique of the host's garden.”
03naive or inexperienced
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. having little experience of the world and trusting people too easily.
adj. lacking worldly experience, sophistication, or knowledge of evil.
Español:inocente
“She was young and innocent, believing everything she read online.”
“His innocent perspective on international politics was often dismissed by his more cynical and experienced colleagues.”
Antonyms
04a person who is not guilty
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal
n. a person, especially a child, who has no experience of bad things or has done nothing wrong.
n. an individual who is free from guilt or sin, frequently used in the plural to refer to victims of war or disaster.
“The war caused the deaths of many thousands of blameless innocents.”
“The documentary highlights the tragic plight of the innocents caught in the crossfire of the regional conflict.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “innocent” in context.
Verb
01. plead innocent
“The man decided to plead innocent when he appeared in court.”
verb + adj
02. prove innocent
“The lawyer worked hard to prove his client innocent of the crime.”
verb + adj
03. remain innocent
“She managed to remain innocent despite the difficult world she lived in.”
verb + adj
Adjective
04. entirely innocent
“It was an entirely innocent mistake and no one was hurt.”
adv + adj
05. innocent of the charges
“The jury found that the woman was innocent of the charges.”
adj + prep + noun
Noun
06. innocent smile
“The baby gave her an innocent smile that melted her heart.”
adj + noun
07. innocent victims of the war
“Many innocent victims of the war were forced to leave their homes.”
adj + noun + prep + noun
Etymology
From Middle English innocent, from Old French innocent, inocent, borrowed from Latin innocēns (“harmless, inoffensive”), from in- (“not”) + nocēns, present participle of noceō (“to hurt”). By surface analysis, in- (“not”) + nocent (“harmful; guilty”). Displaced native Old English unsċyldiġ.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/innocent
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0