I. in ‧ no ‧ cent 1 W3 /ˈɪnəs ə nt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ innocence , ↑ innocent ; adverb : ↑ innocently ; adjective : ↑ innocent ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin , from nocens 'evil' , present participle of nocere 'to harm' ]
1 . not guilty of a crime OPP guilty :
Nobody would believe that I was innocent.
innocent of
He’s innocent of murder.
The court found him innocent and he was released.
2 . innocent victims/bystanders/people etc people who get hurt or killed in a war or crime although they are not directly involved in it:
Many innocent civilians are among the casualties.
3 . done or said without intending to harm or offend anyone:
He was startled by their angry reaction to his innocent remark.
4 . not having much experience of the bad things in the world, so that you are easily deceived SYN naive :
I was thirteen years old and very innocent.
—innocently adverb
II. innocent 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ innocence , ↑ innocent ; adverb : ↑ innocently ; adjective : ↑ innocent ]
someone who does not have much experience of the bad things in life