innocence

(ĭn'ə-səns)

1. The state, quality, or virtue of being innocent, as:
   1. Freedom from sin, moral wrong, or guilt through lack of knowledge of evil.
   2. Guiltlessness of a specific legal crime or offense.
   3. Freedom from guile, cunning, or deceit; simplicity or artlessness.
   4. Lack of worldliness or sophistication; naiveté.
   5. Lack of knowledge or understanding; ignorance.
   6. Freedom from harmfulness; inoffensiveness.
2. One that is innocent.
3. Botany. See blue-eyed Mary.

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noun

1. The condition of being chaste: chastity, decency, modesty, purity, virginity, virtue, virtuousness. See good/bad, restraint/unrestraint, sex/asexual.
2. The condition of being uninformed or unaware: ignorance, nescience, obliviousness, unawareness, unconsciousness, unfamiliarity. See knowledge/ignorance.

Definition: blamelessness
Antonyms: badness, blame, corruption, evil, guilt, sin

n

Definition: harmlessness, naïveté
Antonyms: experience, impurity, knowledge, treacherousness, wildness

Quotes:

"She looked as though butter wouldn't melt in her mouth --or anywhere else." - Else Lanchester

"There is no aphrodisiac like innocence." - Jean Baudrillard

"The innocent is the person who explains nothing." - Albert Camus

"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster." - James Baldwin

"No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking." - Ruth Benedict

"Now my innocence begins to weigh me down." - Jean Racine

See more famous quotes about Innocence

For other uses of "Innocence" and "Innocent", see Innocence (disambiguation).

Bouguereau's L'Innocence: Both young children and lambs are symbols of innocence.

Innocence (or guiltlessness) is a term used to indicate a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, sin, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence refers to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime.

Contents 1 Symbolism 2 Loss of innocence 3 See also 4 References

Symbolism

The lamb is a commonly used symbol of innocence's nature. In Christianity, for example, Jesus is referred to as the "Lamb of God", thus emphasizing his sinless nature.^[1] Other symbols of innocence include children, virgins, acacia branches (especially in Freemasonry),^[2] non-sexual nudity, and the color white.^[3]

Loss of innocence

A "loss of innocence" is a common theme in fiction and pop culture, and is often seen as an integral part of coming of age. It is usually thought of as an experience or period in a child's life that widens their awareness of evil, pain or suffering in the world around them. Examples of this theme include the song "American Pie"^[4] and the novels To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, and Lord of the Flies.

See also

• Presumption of innocence
• Actual innocence

References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010)

1. ^ Paton, Chalmers Izett (1873). Freemasonry: Its Symbolism, Religious Nature, and Law of Perfection. Reeves and Turner. pp. 232–240. 
2. ^ The Numismatist. American Numismatic Association. 1901. p. 177. 
3. ^ The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge. Encyclopedia Americana Corp.. 1918. p. 329. 
4. ^ Saul Levitt. "Interpretation of American Pie - analysis, news, Don McLean, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Rock & Roll". Missamericanpie.co.uk. http://www.missamericanpie.co.uk/interpret.html. Retrieved 2011-02-16. 

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Common misspelling(s) of innocence

• inocence