Dictionary

innocence en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɪnəsn̩s/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English innocence, from Old French innocence, inocence, from Latin innocentia. Doublet of innocency. Displaced native Old English unsċyld.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc.
   • Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.
2. (countable, uncountable) Lack 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.
   • 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, →OCLC:
3. (countable, uncountable) Lack of ability or intention to harm or damage.
   • Tests have demonstrated the innocence of this substance.
   • 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 96:
4. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Imbecility; mental deficiency.

Forms

Antonyms

uninnocence · nocence · blameworthiness · guiltiness · harmfulness · noninnocence · guilt · guilt · culpability · guilt

Deriveds

noninnocence · presumption of innocence · lesser baby innocence · pseudoinnocence

Hypernyms

state

Relateds

innocency · innocent · clean hands · innocently

Synonyms

unguilt · cleanness · inculpability · unworldliness · idiocy · harmlessness · purity · guiltlessness · innocence · innocuity · unguilt · blamelessness · innocency · naivety · moronity

Translations (92)

ko 무죄 (absence of responsibility for a crime) · uk неви́нність (absence of responsibility for a crime) · fr innocence (absence of responsibility for a crime) · sv oskuld (absence of responsibility for a crime) · tr suçsuzluk (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ko 결백 (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ko 무독 (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · it innocenza (absence of responsibility for a crime) · el αθωότητα (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · pt inocência (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · hu ártatlanság (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ru неви́нность (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · ml നിഷ്കളങ്കത (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is saklaus (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · ja 無害 (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · be няві́ннасць (absence of responsibility for a crime) · fi syyttömyys (absence of responsibility for a crime) · bg невинност (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is meinlaust (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · lv nevainība (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · cs nevina (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ko 무해 (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · es inocencia (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is sakleysi (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ml നിരപരാധിത്വം (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ca innocència (absence of responsibility for a crime) · la pueritia (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · pl niewinność (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · uk безви́нність (absence of responsibility for a crime) · hu naivság (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · lv nevainība (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · el αθωότητα (absence of responsibility for a crime) · be невінава́тасць (absence of responsibility for a crime) · de Harmlosigkeit (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · sv oskyldighet (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ru невино́вность (absence of responsibility for a crime) · uk невинува́тість (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ko 무사기 (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · hu ártalmatlanság (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · fr candeur (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · pt inocência (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · la innocentia (absence of responsibility for a crime) · nl onschuld (absence of responsibility for a crime) · sh nȅdūžnōst (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is saklaust (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · ja 無邪気 (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · sl nedolžnost (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ru неви́нность (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · el αθωότητα (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · ota ضررسزلق (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · pl niewinność (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · ml നിഷ്കളങ്കത (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · ml നിഷ്കളങ്കത (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · bg невинност (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · ar بَرَاءَة (absence of responsibility for a crime) · tl kawalang-muwang (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · sl nedolžnost (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · is sakleysi (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · is barnaskapur (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · fr innocence (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · ja 潔白 (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ro nevinovăție (absence of responsibility for a crime) · pt inocência (absence of responsibility for a crime) · got 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌺𐌽𐌴𐌹 (absence of responsibility for a crime) · sv harmlöshet (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · ja 無罪 (absence of responsibility for a crime) · lv nevainīgums (absence of responsibility for a crime) · hi निर्दोषता (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is sýkna (absence of responsibility for a crime) · ru неви́нность (absence of responsibility for a crime) · nl onschuld (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · eo senkulpeco (absence of responsibility for a crime) · sl nedolžnost (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · is grandaleysi (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · tr masumiyet (absence of responsibility for a crime) · sv oskuld (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · fi viattomuus (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · gl inocencia (absence of responsibility for a crime) · de Unschuld (absence of responsibility for a crime) · fi vaarattomuus (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · pl niewinność (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is skaðlaust (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · mi harakoretanga (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is meinlaus (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · hu ártatlanság (lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime) · ang unsċyld (absence of responsibility for a crime) · is skaðlaus (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · ang unsċaþfulnes (lack of ability or intention to harm or damage) · ota صوچسزلق (absence of responsibility for a crime) · lv nevainība (absence of responsibility for a crime) · sh nȅvīnōst (absence of responsibility for a crime) · hy անմեղություն (absence of responsibility for a crime)