guiltlessness
guiltlessness — noun
1. the condition of having done nothing wrong, especially when no fault, blame, or
the condition of having done nothing wrong, especially when no fault, blame, or wrongdoing can be linked to someone or something.
After three months in court, Renata's lawyer finally proved her guiltlessness to the jury.
possessive + of pattern: someone's guiltlessness
The villagers believed in the guiltlessness of the young shepherd accused of stealing the sheep.
the guiltlessness of [person] structure for asserting innocence
Kofi spoke with the calm guiltlessness of a man who knew he had done nothing wrong.
The journalist's report restored a sense of guiltlessness to the family wrongly accused last year.
Élise looked at the broken vase and tried hard to maintain an expression of perfect guiltlessness.
- innocence
much more common everyday word; covers both blamelessness and naivety
- blamelessness
near-synonym; slightly more focused on absence of fault for a specific act
- faultlessness
stresses the absence of any error or wrongdoing; often about behaviour or work
- guilt
the direct opposite — having done something wrong, or feeling bad about it
- culpability
formal opposite; legal or moral responsibility for a wrong
文法句型
the guiltlessness of [person/thing]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in legal, moral, or literary contexts. Subject is usually a person whose innocence is being asserted, defended, or proven. Less common than 'innocence' in everyday speech; chosen when the writer wants to emphasise the absence of fault rather than purity or naivety.