innocence

Study(3)

/ˈɪnəsn̩s/

noun 4

Collocations

(noun.) being not guilty of a crime, etc.

ADJ

total

VERB + INNOCENCE

declare, proclaim

The defendant declared her innocence, but the evidence against her was overwhelming.

claim

The defendant claimed his innocence throughout the trial, but the evidence was overwhelming.

protest

The defendant continued to protest her innocence even after the guilty verdict was announced.

demonstrate, establish, prove

be convinced of

The jury was convinced of her innocence after hearing the new evidence presented in court.

PHRASES

in all innocence

She mentioned it in all innocence, not realizing how deeply it would hurt him.

the presumption of innocence

In court, the judge reminded everyone that the presumption of innocence applies until proven guilty.

(noun.) lack of knowledge/experience

ADJ

childlike, wide-eyed | lost

injured

When he was accused of stealing, his injured innocence was obvious to everyone in the room.

apparent | mock

VERB + INNOCENCE

lose

When children start school, they gradually lose their innocence about how the world works.

retain

take advantage of

The con artist took advantage of the elderly man's innocence to steal his savings.

PREP

in your ~

In her innocence, the young girl trusted the stranger without asking any questions.

with ~

She claimed with complete innocence that she had never seen the missing documents before.

~ about

The young child had an innocence about her that made everyone smile.

PHRASES

an air of innocence

She maintained an air of innocence despite the chocolate stains on her face.

a look of innocence, the picture of innocence

When the teacher found the broken vase, Maria had a look of innocence on her face.

a state of innocence

Definitions

noun

Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc.

Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.

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.

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.

Imbecility; mental deficiency.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the quality of innocent naivete

noun — the state of being unsullied by sin or moral wrong

purity
pureness
sinlessness
whiteness

Antonyms

guilt
guiltiness

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.

Wiktionary

In his innocence, he offered the stranger to bring the package to Paris, never suspecting it contained drugs.

Wiktionary

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.

Wiktionary

Innocence is a beautiful thing.

Tatoeba · #1375

You must not take advantage of her innocence.

Tatoeba · #10832

Oddly enough, he insisted on his innocence.

Tatoeba · #20627

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, innocence is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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