innocent
gb/ˈɪnəsənt/ us/ˈɪnəsənt/
B1
Inglés
~ 7300
Acepciones
0 acepciones
adjective
B1
state
1
not guilty of a crime or wrongdoing
Not having done a bad or illegal thing that people say you did.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] is innocent of [crime/wrongdoing]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say *innocent from* instead of *innocent of* when talking about crimes or wrong actions. Correct: "He is innocent of the crime," not "He is innocent from the crime." Learners also sometimes confuse this meaning with "naive"; here the focus is on not having done something wrong, not on lack of experience.
Sinónimos
not guilty (Direct legal opposite of 'guilty', used mainly in legal or formal contexts.)
Antónimos
guilty (Describes someone who has committed the crime or bad act or is responsible for it.)
Colocaciones
innocent man
|innocent woman
|innocent person
|innocent of all charges
|prove [someone] innocent
|declare [someone] innocent
Temas
law
|ethics
|society
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The jury found her innocent of all the charges.
- He insists he is innocent and had nothing to do with the robbery.
- Several years later, new DNA evidence proved the prisoner was innocent.
- An innocent man spent ten years in jail before the mistake was discovered.
- The lawyer argued that his client was completely innocent of any wrongdoing.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The court said she was innocent.
- He is innocent of the crime.
- They proved that the man was innocent.
- Many people in the town believe he is innocent.
- The judge found the two boys innocent.
adjective
B2
property
2
not experienced or morally pure
Not knowing much about bad things in the world, especially about sex or how people can be cruel or dishonest.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] seems/looks [innocent]
Error frecuente:
Learners may use this sense when they really mean "not guilty" in a legal situation. For example, "He is innocent" could mean he has a pure character or that he did not commit a crime; context is important. To make the legal meaning clear, add a phrase like "of the crime" or "of all charges." Also, using it about adults in a sexual sense can sometimes sound old-fashioned or judgmental; 'naive' or 'inexperienced' may fit better.
Sinónimos
naive (Suggests a lack of experience and a tendency to trust too easily; can sound slightly negative or critical.)
Antónimos
worldly (Describes someone with a lot of experience of life, including its bad or unpleasant sides.)
Colocaciones
innocent child
|seem innocent
|look innocent
|sound innocent
|sexually innocent
|wide-eyed and innocent
Temas
personality
|emotions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- She was only eighteen, still very innocent and trusting.
- He has this innocent look that makes people want to protect him.
- The movie shows an innocent young woman arriving alone in a big, dangerous city.
- As a child she was completely innocent of the hatred around her.
- I was far from the innocent teenager my parents believed me to be.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The little boy is very innocent.
- She looks so innocent when she smiles.
- When I was young, I was innocent and did not know about bad things.
- He acted like an innocent child.
- Her parents think she is innocent, but she knows many things.
adjective
B2
property
3
harmless or without bad intention
Not hurting anyone and not trying to do anything bad or secret.
Patrón de uso:
[an] innocent [remark/question/mistake]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse this meaning with "naive." "Innocent joke" or "innocent question" usually means it was not meant to hurt or hide anything, not that the speaker is childlike or naive. Also, do not say *innocent from harm*; use "harmless" or "safe" instead.
Sinónimos
harmless (Focuses more on the lack of bad effects; 'innocent' also hints that no bad intention was present.)
Antónimos
offensive (Describes words or behavior that are likely to upset or anger people.)
Colocaciones
innocent remark
|innocent question
|innocent joke
|innocent mistake
|seem innocent enough
|a relatively innocent activity
Temas
daily_life
|communication
|behavior
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- It was just an innocent question, but he took it the wrong way.
- What started as an innocent joke quickly became a serious argument.
- She claimed it was an innocent mistake and apologized immediately.
- At first, his message seemed innocent enough, but later it felt creepy.
- They thought it was an innocent game, not realizing how dangerous it could become.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- It was an innocent mistake.
- I asked an innocent question, but my boss was angry.
- We were only having innocent fun.
- His comment sounded innocent to me.
- The child made an innocent joke.
adjective
B2
state
4
not involved but harmed or affected
Not part of the bad action but still hurt or affected by it.
Patrón de uso:
[innocent] [bystanders/civilians/victims]
Error frecuente:
Learners may not realize this sense often implies the person suffered even though they did nothing wrong. In news reports, "innocent civilians" or "innocent bystanders" almost always means people who were not part of the fighting or crime but were hurt.
Sinónimos
uninvolved (Emphasizes not taking part in the action; 'innocent' often also suggests unfair suffering.)
Antónimos
responsible (Describes those who caused or helped cause the harmful event.)
Colocaciones
innocent bystander
|innocent civilians
|innocent victims
|innocent people
|innocent parties
|kill innocent civilians
Temas
law
|conflict
|society
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Several innocent bystanders were injured in the shooting.
- The attack killed dozens of innocent civilians.
- Both sides claim to protect innocent people caught in the conflict.
- The argument pulled in several completely innocent parties.
- We must make sure that no innocent person is punished for this crime.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- An innocent bystander was hurt in the fight.
- Many innocent people died in the war.
- The bomb killed innocent civilians.
- The company does not want to punish innocent workers.
- Police must protect innocent people.
Sustantivo
B2
entity
5
a person who is not guilty
A person who did not do a bad or illegal thing.
Patrón de uso:
[protect/free] the innocent
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes forget that as a noun, "innocent" is often used with "the" to talk about a group: "the innocent". Without context, saying "He is an innocent" can sound literary or slightly old-fashioned.
Sinónimos
blameless person (Stresses moral or legal lack of blame; less common as a set phrase than "the innocent.")
Antónimos
the guilty (Refers to people who have done the crime or bad act.)
Colocaciones
the innocent
|protect the innocent
|free the innocent
|punish the innocent
|the innocent and the guilty
Temas
law
|society
|ethics
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Our justice system should punish the guilty, not the innocent.
- Several organizations work to free the innocent who have been wrongly convicted.
- In war, it is often the innocent who suffer most.
- He claimed to be fighting for the innocent and the weak.
- The film focuses on the voices of the innocent in the conflict.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The law should protect the innocent.
- Sometimes the innocent are punished.
- A group helps the innocent who are in prison.
- In war, the innocent often die.
- The police must find the guilty and help the innocent.
Sustantivo
C1
entity
6
a naive or inexperienced person
A person who does not know how hard or bad the world can be, and can be easy to trick or hurt.
Patrón de uso:
[be] an innocent
Error frecuente:
As a noun with this meaning, "innocent" is countable: you say "an innocent" or "innocents," not "many innocent" without a noun. Also, this sense is less common and can sound literary; in everyday speech, people often say "naive person" or "very naive" instead.
Sinónimos
naive person (Common description; does not carry the slightly literary or emotional tone that "innocent" can have.)
Antónimos
cynic (Describes someone who expects people to be selfish or dishonest, the opposite attitude of an "innocent.")
Colocaciones
a helpless innocent
|a wide-eyed innocent
|an innocent abroad
|treat [someone] like an innocent
Temas
personality
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- He was no helpless innocent; he knew exactly what he was doing.
- When she arrived in the city, she was a complete innocent, easily impressed by everything.
- They treated him like an innocent who needed to be protected from the truth.
- In the story, a young innocent is drawn into a world of crime.
- He plays the wide-eyed innocent, but he is actually very clever.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- When she came to the big city, she was an innocent.
- He is not a simple innocent; he understands business very well.
- They see him as an innocent and want to protect him.
- In the film, a young innocent meets a dangerous man.
- She was an innocent who trusted everyone.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
innocent
AFI
GB/ˈɪnəsənt/
US/ˈɪnəsənt/
Sílabas y acento
in - no - cent (3 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (in)
Formas de la palabra
Adjective
- Base: innocent
Noun
- Base: innocent
- Plural: innocents
Familia de palabras
Forms
innocents
noun
Core family
innocence
noun B1
innocently
adverb B2
Expresiones
an innocent abroad
1/ən ˈɪnəsənt əbɹˈɔd/
idiom
literary
naive person in unfamiliar world
A person who is very naive and is in a place or situation that is new and possibly dangerous for them.
Ejemplos
- He arrived in New York like an innocent abroad, shocked by everything he saw.
- The documentary follows an innocent abroad trying to start a business in a tough market.
- She felt like an innocent abroad during her first year in the big city.
an innocent bystander
1/ən ˈɪnəsənt bˈaɪstˌændɚ/
fixed phrase
uninvolved person who was nearby
A person who is near when something bad happens but is not part of it and did not cause it.
Ejemplos
- An innocent bystander was hit by a stray bullet.
- Several innocent bystanders were injured in the crash.
- The explosion killed two workers and one innocent bystander.
innocent fun
1/ˈɪnəsənt fˈʌn/
fixed phrase
harmless enjoyment
Fun that does not hurt anyone and is not seriously bad or wrong.
Ejemplos
- The kids were just having some innocent fun in the park.
- It was all innocent fun until someone got hurt.
- Their jokes started as innocent fun but went too far.
innocent mistake
1/ˈɪnəsənt mɪstˈeɪk/
fixed phrase
error without bad intention
A mistake that was not made to hurt anyone or to cheat; it happened without bad plans.
Ejemplos
- It was an innocent mistake, and she corrected it right away.
- He claimed it was just an innocent mistake on the form.
- I’m sorry, that was an innocent mistake on my part.
innocent party
1/ˈɪnəsənt pˈɑɹti/
fixed phrase
side that is not at fault
The person or group in an argument, accident, or problem who did not cause it.
Ejemplos
- The judge ruled that the company was the innocent party in the dispute.
- We need to protect the innocent party from financial loss.
- In this accident, the cyclist was clearly the innocent party.
innocent until proven guilty
1/ˈɪnəsənt ʌntˈɪl pɹˈuvən ɡˈɪlti/
fixed phrase
treated as not guilty at first
The idea in law that a person is considered not guilty until there is enough proof that they did the crime.
Ejemplos
- Remember, he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
- The judge reminded the jury that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty.
- Many people forget the principle that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
plead innocent
1/plˈid ˈɪnəsənt/
fixed phrase
say in court you are not guilty
To say officially in court that you did not do the crime.
Ejemplos
- The suspect will plead innocent at tomorrow’s hearing.
- She chose to plead innocent to all charges.
- His lawyer advised him not to plead innocent.
the innocent and the guilty
1/ðə ˈɪnəsənt ˈænd ðə ɡˈɪlti/
fixed phrase
innocent people and guilty people
Innocent people and guilty people, spoken of as two opposite groups.
Ejemplos
- In war, the innocent and the guilty often suffer together.
- The law must clearly separate the innocent and the guilty.
- The story shows how hard it can be to tell the innocent and the guilty apart.