Guiltless
What it means
Innocent and free from wrongdoing or blame.
Reach for it when describing a person as innocent of the wrongdoing or blame at issue
The evidence confirmed that the guiltless driver followed every rule.
Words to choose between 5
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| professional | |
| formal |
-
playful
in the clear
Fits when informal reassurance follows removal of suspicion or risk
Careful The phrase can mean merely safe from consequences, not genuinely guiltless.
-
everyday
Fits when the person did not commit the alleged wrong
Careful Innocent has legal force in some contexts and may imply a verdict that evidence cannot yet support.
-
professional
exonerated
Fits when an investigation has formally cleared the person
Careful Exonerated requires a prior accusation and an authoritative clearing process.
-
formal
Fits when no moral responsibility attaches to the conduct
Careful Blameless is stronger than lacking criminal guilt and may ignore a lesser contribution to harm.
-
formal
Fits when performance or conduct contains no identifiable error
Careful Faultless concerns mistakes as well as wrongdoing and can demand unrealistic perfection.
Opposites 3
- guilty
- culpable
- blameworthy
Common phrases 3
-
guiltless person
A guiltless person should not bear punishment for another's act.
-
remain guiltless
She could remain guiltless only by refusing the deceptive request.
-
prove guiltless
The records helped prove the driver guiltless of the alleged violation.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Guiltless is uncommon in modern legal writing. Innocent, not responsible, or formally exonerated will usually be more precise.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Flame, not lame, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated