I. -sənt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French
1. : an innocent one: as
a. : a person free from or unacquainted with sin ; especially : a young child
b. obsolete : a person guiltless of a crime charged
c. : a naïve, artless, or unsophisticated person
an innocent and a novice in the ways of the world — Fred Whishaw
d. : a person who lacks the requisite experience, training, or knowledge : tenderfoot
lending a wrench to some innocent who forgot to bring his own — W.L.Worden
2.
[French, short for herbe de Saint Innocent Saint Innocent's herb]
: bluet 1c(1) — usually used in plural
II. adjective
( sometimes -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, adjective & noun, from Latin innocent- innocens, from in- in- (I) + nocent-, nocens bad, wicked, from present participle of nocēre to harm, hurt — more at noxious
1.
a.
(1) : free from guilt or sin especially through lack of knowledge of evil : blameless , pure , untainted
an innocent child
(2) : being without evil influence or effect : not arising from evil intention
innocent deception
innocent sport
searching for a hidden motive in even the most innocent conversation — Leonard Wibberley
(3) : reflecting or indicating freedom from guilt or sin : candid
a child's trusting innocent eye
turned on me her innocent gaze
b.
(1) : free from legal guilt or fault
a person innocent of a particular crime
an innocent agent
: free from an illegality : being without knowledge of circumstances giving notice of a defect in title or of rights existing in third persons
an innocent holder or purchaser for value
: being without intention of evading or circumventing the law
(2) : having a lawful character : permitted
a wholly innocent transaction
specifically : not being contraband
an innocent trade
(3) : lacking or devoid of something : destitute
innocent of any linguistic training — A.F.Hubbell
her face innocent of cosmetics — Marcia Davenport
glass still innocent of water and soap — William Faulkner
2.
a.
(1) : lacking or reflecting lack of sophistication, guile, or self-consciousness : artless , ingenuous , naïve
a disappointing figure to innocent persons who seek his acquaintance — C.E.Montague
innocent vanity
what an innocent notion — F.L.Allen
not innocent … but academic and a little self-conscious — Philip Toynbee
(2) : foolishly ignorant or trusting : subject to being duped : simpleminded
when it comes to a trade, he is not as innocent as he looks
b.
(1) : not adept in or conversant with something : ignorant
almost entirely innocent of Latin — C.L.Wrenn
the curious but innocent explorer will find himself hopelessly lost — B.R.Redman
(2) : unsuspecting , unaware
perfectly innocent of the confusion he had created — B.R.Haydon
3. : lacking capacity to injure : innocuous , harmless
unarmed hands or feet are relatively innocent — Lewis Mumford
fine innocent weather — John Muir †1914
specifically : benign 3c
an innocent heart murmur — Lancet
• in·no·cent·ly adverb
• in·no·cent·ness noun -es