innocents

Innocents is the plural form of the adjective innocent and may refer to people who are not guilty of a crime or wrongdoing, or to things regarded as harmless, pure, or uncorrupted. In moral philosophy and law, innocence is often contrasted with guilt, fault, or knowledge of wrongdoing. The term also appears in religious contexts; for example, the Holy Innocents refer to infants killed as Herod's massacre, a theme that has influenced art and liturgy.

In culture, Innocents has been used as a title or motif in various media. A number of films, television programs, novels, and musical works have adopted the word Innocents or its plural form in their titles, often to evoke themes of youth, vulnerability, virtue, or misperceived guilt. The usage is international and spans different languages and eras, contributing to a broad, sometimes ambiguous association with purity and naivety, as well as danger or loss.

Because Innocents functions as both a common noun and a proper title in popular culture, it can refer to different subjects depending on context. When encountering the term, it is helpful to consider the surrounding text to identify whether it denotes the generic concept of innocence or a specific work or group bearing the name.