Meanings
plural innocences
- countableuncountableAbsence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc.
Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.
Synonyms: unguilt · Antonyms: guilt, blameworthiness, culpability, guilt, guiltiness, noninnocence, uninnocence
- countableuncountableLack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime.
In his innocence, he offered the stranger to bring the package to Paris, never suspecting it contained drugs.
1 more example
Eustace gaped at him in amazement. When his urbanity dropped away from him, as now, he had an innocence of expression which was almost infantile. It was as if the world had never touched him at all.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 9, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLCSynonyms: naivety, unworldliness, purity
- countableuncountableLack of ability or intention to harm or damage.
Tests have demonstrated the innocence of this substance.
1 more example
His unruly hair was slicked down with water, and as Jessamy introduced him to Miss Brindle his face assumed a cherubic innocence which would immediately have aroused the suspicions of anyone who knew him.
1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 96Synonyms: harmlessness, innocuity · Antonyms: harmfulness, nocence
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAbsence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc.
nounLack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime.
nounLack of ability or intention to harm or damage.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe quality of innocent naivete
nounthe state of being unsullied by sin or moral wrong; lacking a knowledge of evil
nouna state or condition of being innocent of a specific crime or offense
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latininnocentia
- Old Frenchinnocence
- Middle Englishinnocence
- Englishinnocence
Inherited from Middle English innocence, from Old French innocence, inocence, from Latin innocentia. Doublet of innocency. Displaced native Old English unsċyld.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بَرَاءَة
- بَرَاءَة (barāʔa)absence of responsibility for a crime
Bulgarian невинност, невинност
- невинност (nevinnost)absence of responsibility for a crime
- невинност (nevinnost)lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
Catalan innocència
- innocènciaabsence of responsibility for a crime
Czech nevina
- nevinaabsence of responsibility for a crime
Dutch onschuld, onschuld
- onschuldabsence of responsibility for a crime
- onschuldlack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
Esperanto senkulpeco
- senkulpecoabsence of responsibility for a crime
Finnish syyttömyys, viattomuus
- syyttömyysabsence of responsibility for a crime
- viattomuuslack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- vaarattomuuslack of ability or intention to harm or damage
French innocence, innocence
- innocenceabsence of responsibility for a crime
- innocencelack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- candeurlack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
German Unschuld, Harmlosigkeit
- Unschuldabsence of responsibility for a crime
- Harmlosigkeitlack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Greek αθωότητα, αθωότητα
- αθωότητα (athoótita)absence of responsibility for a crime
- αθωότητα (athoótita)lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- αθωότητα (athoótita)lack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Hindi निर्दोषता
- निर्दोषता (nirdoṣtā)absence of responsibility for a crime
Hungarian ártatlanság, ártatlanság
- ártatlanságabsence of responsibility for a crime
- ártatlanságlack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- naivságlack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- ártalmatlanságlack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Icelandic sakleysi, sýkna
- sakleysiabsence of responsibility for a crime
- sýknaabsence of responsibility for a crime
- sakleysilack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- barnaskapurlack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- grandaleysilack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- meinlauslack of ability or intention to harm or damage
- meinlaustlack of ability or intention to harm or damage
- saklauslack of ability or intention to harm or damage
- saklaustlack of ability or intention to harm or damage
- skaðlauslack of ability or intention to harm or damage
- skaðlaustlack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Italian innocenza
- innocenzaabsence of responsibility for a crime
Japanese 潔白, 無罪
- 潔白 (keppaku)absence of responsibility for a crime
- 無罪 (muzai)absence of responsibility for a crime
- 無邪気 (mujaki)lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- 無害 (mugai)lack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Korean 결백, 무죄
- 결백 (gyeolbaek)absence of responsibility for a crime
- 무죄 (mujoe)absence of responsibility for a crime
- 무사기 (musagi)lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- 무해 (muhae)lack of ability or intention to harm or damage
- 무독 (mudok)lack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Latin innocentia, pueritia
- innocentiaabsence of responsibility for a crime
- pueritialack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
Latvian nevainība, nevainīgums
- nevainībaabsence of responsibility for a crime
- nevainīgumsabsence of responsibility for a crime
- nevainībalack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- nevainībalack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Māori harakoretanga
- harakoretangaabsence of responsibility for a crime
Polish niewinność, niewinność
- niewinnośćabsence of responsibility for a crime
- niewinnośćlack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- niewinnośćlack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Portuguese inocência, inocência
- inocênciaabsence of responsibility for a crime
- inocêncialack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- inocêncialack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Romanian nevinovăție
- nevinovățieabsence of responsibility for a crime
Russian неви́нность, невино́вность
- неви́нность (nevínnostʹ)absence of responsibility for a crime
- невино́вность (nevinóvnostʹ)absence of responsibility for a crime
- неви́нность (nevínnostʹ)lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- неви́нность (nevínnostʹ)lack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Spanish inocencia
- inocenciaabsence of responsibility for a crime
Swedish oskuld, oskyldighet
- oskuldabsence of responsibility for a crime
- oskyldighetabsence of responsibility for a crime
- oskuldlack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
- harmlöshetlack of ability or intention to harm or damage
Tagalog kawalang-muwang
- kawalang-muwanglack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime
Turkish suçsuzluk, masumiyet
- suçsuzlukabsence of responsibility for a crime
- masumiyetabsence of responsibility for a crime
Ukrainian неви́нність, невинува́тість
- неви́нність (nevýnnistʹ)absence of responsibility for a crime
- невинува́тість (nevynuvátistʹ)absence of responsibility for a crime
- безви́нність (bezvýnnistʹ)absence of responsibility for a crime
Cite this entry
innocence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/innocence
“innocence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/innocence. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “innocence,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/innocence.
Source: innocence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.