innocence

noun

ˈi-nə-sən(t)s How to pronounce innocence (audio)
Definition of innocencenext
1
as in innocency
the quality or state of being free from guilt or blame the accused embezzler eventually proved her innocence and was released

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naturalness
the quality or state of being simple and sincere the innocence of the child's question touched everyone present

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ignorance
the state of being unaware or uninformed in my innocence I just assumed that quoted rate was for a week's stay and not for a single night at the health spa

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in purity
the quality or state of being morally pure in Melville's novel, the sailor Billy Budd serves as a symbol of absolute innocence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of innocence The Morgan County District Attorney’s Office, representing the State of Alabama, opposed the petition in March 2026, arguing his claims of innocence and ineffective assistance of trial counsel are time-barred and meritless. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 Inevitable — necessary, even — but so painful in its loss of innocence. — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026 For her, that’s enough to fully confront Pastor Nelson after trying to get through to Guthrie about Manny’s innocence doesn’t work. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 Set at a New England prep school during World War II, A Separate Peace paints a messy, complex depiction of adolescence and the loss of innocence. — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for innocence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocence
  1. purity
  2. naturalness
  3. ignorance
  4. simplicity
  5. sincerity
Noun
  • The Basij run a nationwide network of volunteers who maintain a presence in the streets, government offices and cultural centers, seeking to ensure loyalty and ideological purity for Iran’s theocracy.
    — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Along with these shifts came purity tests that were easy for well-meaning people to fail.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of purity
Noun
  • The ensemble of actors is convincing in its naturalness, with the characterizations remaining consistently precise and ambivalent.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Inside the wilderness, a big part of it is to return naturalness, right?
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 29 July 2026
Definition of naturalness
Noun
  • Despite the structure of bets and trades, the point of the idea-futures business is to gamble on insight rather than ignorance.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Rauber says much of the opposition to cloud seeding comes from ignorance of the process.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of ignorance
Noun
  • While Van Patten’s current makeup routine is all about simplicity, that wasn’t always the case.
    — Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Clinamen @ The Park Avenue Armory Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s Clinamen was mesmerizing in its simplicity.
    — Jesse Kirshbaum, SPIN, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • The human nervous system recognizes sincerity faster than polish.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Alter denounced Kanter Freedom as a bad-faith actor and questioned the sincerity of his concerns about transgender women in sports.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of sincerity

Browse Nearby Words

innkeepers
innocence
innocency
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Innocence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocence. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All