innocence

in-no-cence · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    The state of not being guilty of a crime or offense.

  2. 2.

    The quality of being pure, uncorrupted, or naive; lack of worldly experience.

  3. 3.

    Lack of guile or cunning; simplicity.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    loss of innocence — the transition from childhood naivety to adult awareness
  • •
    plead innocence — to claim one is not guilty
  • •
    in all innocence — without any harmful intention

Related words

Antonyms: culpability, experience, guilt
See also: guilt, innocent, purity
Synonyms: guiltlessness, naivety, purity

Etymology

From Old French innocence, from Latin innocentia ("blamelessness"), from innocens ("harmless, blameless"), from in- ("not") + nocens ("harming"), present participle of nocere ("to harm").