offencelessoffenselessadj.

1581 T. Howell His Deuises sig. M.ij The murdring Knyfe for my offencelesse crime, I see preparde to gore my guyltlesse blood.

1611 G. Chapman May-day i. i. 5 O most offencelesse fault.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 268 Euen so, as one would beate his offencelesse dog, to affright an imperious Lyon. View more context for this quotation

1642 J. Milton Apol. Smectymnuus 19 I shall endeavour it may be offencelesse to other mens eares.

1722 R. Blackmore Redemption ii. 104 These men are still in history allow'd Offenceless, and with probity endow'd.

a1763 W. Shenstone Love & Honour 126 A soft-ey'd maid, a mild offenceless prey.

1852 Internat. Mag. Lit., Art, & Sci. Jan. 47/1 Offenceless I, yet thou dost make me bleed.

1862 J. G. Holland Bay-path (new ed.) 306 Here is a poor girl who had the misfortune to have a father made lawless by law, and who has been for years a most offenceless object of suspicion in this plantation.

1902 Daily Chron. 23 Sept. 3/3 It is an amiable, offenceless, characterless story of the kind which makes no sort of appeal to criticism.

2002 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 11 June b5 Last week's school flap illustrates the difficulties with sweeping campaigns that try to create an offenceless society.

a1631 J. Donne Ess. Divinity (1651) 135 We may (offencelesly (since there is nothing but [God] himself, so large as the world) thus compare him to the world.

1866 J. Ruskin Crown Wild Olive Pref. 29 If I might offencelessly have spoken.

2003 www.harekrsna.com 28 Feb. (O.E.D. Archive) Does not the teachings of our Guru Maharaja and Sampradaya advocate glorification of the Lord, offencelessly as the solution to ALL difficulties?