What does "innocent" mean?
Innocent: Morally free from guilt; guiltless; not tainted with sin; pure; upright. To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb. Shak. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. Matt. xxvii.
Additional senses
- 2.The aidless,innocent lady, his wished prey. Milton.
- 3.Free from the guilt of a particular crime or offense; as, a man is innocent of the crime charged. Innocent from the great transgression. Ps. xix.
- 4.4. Simple; artless; foolish. Shak.
- 5.Lawful; permitted; as, an innocent trade.
- 6.Not contraband; not subject to forfeiture; as, innocent goods carried to a belligerent nation. Innocent party (Law),a party who has not notice of a fact tainting a litigated transaction with illegality.
- 7.An innocent person; one free from, or unacquainted with, guilt or sin. Shak.
- 8.An unsophisticated person; hence, a child; a simpleton; an idiot. B. Jonson. In Scotland a natural fool was called an innocent. Sir W. Scott. Innocents' day (Eccl.), Childermas day.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00