not guilty

Thân thiện

The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

Definition

Adjective: - Legally declared innocent of a specific charge or crime; free from legal blame. This describes the official verdict or finding that a person is not responsible for the alleged offense.

Usage

The term "not guilty" is used primarily in legal contexts to describe the outcome of a trial or the status of an accused person. - It is the formal verdict returned by a judge or jury when the prosecution has not proven the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. - It is a finding of fact based on the evidence, not necessarily a declaration of absolute innocence in a moral sense.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts.
  • After a lengthy trial, she was found not guilty of the charges.
  • A plea of not guilty was entered by the defense attorney.

Advanced Usage

• "Plead not guilty": To formally state in court that one denies the charges.

  • The defendant chose to plead not guilty and take the case to trial.

• "Verdict of not guilty": The official decision issued by a jury or judge.

  • The defense team celebrated the hard-won verdict of not guilty.

Variants and Related Words

• Acquitted (adj): The state of having been formally declared not guilty in court. Often used interchangeably with "found not guilty."

  • The acquitted man left the courthouse a free person.

• Innocent (adj): More general term meaning not guilty of a crime or wrongdoing. While "not guilty" is a legal finding, "innocent" can imply a factual or moral lack of guilt.

  • He maintained he was innocent throughout the investigation.

Synonyms

• Acquitted
• Exonerated (implies being cleared from blame, often after being proven innocent)
• Cleared (of charges)

Antonyms

• Guilty
• Convicted
• Culpable

Related Phrases

• Not guilty by reason of insanity: A special verdict where a defendant is found to have committed the act but is not held criminally responsible due to a severe mental disease or defect at the time.
  • The controversial defense resulted in a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. declared not guilty of a specific offense or crime; legally blameless
   • he stands acquitted on all charges
   • the jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity

Từ đồng nghĩa

• acquitted