innocently
adv.in a way that shows you are not trying to be harmful or dishonest. You use this when someone does something by accident or without bad intentions.
adv.in a manner that suggests a lack of malice, guilt, or ill intent. Often used to describe actions performed without awareness of their consequences or with a naive lack of sophistication.
“He looked at her innocently as he explained the mistake.”
“The child innocently asked why the sky was blue, showing no understanding of the complex physics involved.”
“The defendant appeared to be speaking innocently about the events of that evening, though the prosecution argued his words were a calculated attempt to mislead the jury.”
“Meanwhile, the board game designer who had innocently started the whole thing watched his dinner question turn into an international research project.”
“Describing Sunday’s crash, Kelly said: “These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.”
From innocent + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.