harmless

adjective

harm·​less ˈhärm-ləs 

1

: free from harm, liability, or loss

2

: lacking capacity or intent to injure : innocuous

a harmless joke

harmlessly adverb

harmlessness noun

Synonyms

• anodyne
• benign
• hurtless
• innocent
• innocuous
• inoffensive
• safe
• white

Examples of harmless in a Sentence

His ideas seem harmless enough.

We're just having a bit of harmless fun.

It was just a harmless joke.

Recent Examples on the Web

The three-judge panel for the appeals court rejected their claims, finding that any errors were harmless or that their arguments failed to show any violation. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025

Even a seemingly harmless email thread between friends had been hacked, exposing private details. —Chad Angle, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2025

One character even falls into the lagoon—which, during my visit, was quite serene, with blooming lotus flowers on the water’s surface and harmless—but surprisingly large—monitor lizards lurking underneath. —Anna Haines, Travel + Leisure, 17 Feb. 2025

This study provides additional evidence that TIA is not a harmless event, says Marco Gonzalez, MD, a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who was not involved in the research. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

harmless

adjective

harm·​less ˈhärm-ləs 

1

: free from harm

2

: unable to harm

harmlessly adverb

harmlessness noun

Legal Definition

harmless

adjective

harm·​less

1

: free from harm, liability, or loss

—often used in the phrase to hold harmless see also hold harmless

2

: lacking capacity or intent to injure

harmlessly adverb

harmlessness noun