innocence
Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc.
Example
“Her attorney managed to convince the jury of her innocence.”
Other meanings
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.”
Lack of ability or intention to harm or damage.
“Tests have demonstrated the innocence of this substance.”
Related words
- noninnocence
- pseudoinnocence
- lesser baby innocence
- presumption of innocence
Word history
From Latin "innocentia".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “innocence” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.