as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
the otherwise anodyne comments sounded quite inflammatory when taken out of context
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in sedative
something (as a drug) that relieves pain
the dentist prescribed an anodyne after the root canal
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
as an anodyne for the stress and superficiality of the modern world, there's nothing better than reading a literary classic of substance and insight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of anodyne
Jonathan L. Zittrain, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
What used to be complementary is now an up-charge, what used to be fueled by actors and human talent is now automated and impersonal, and what used to be special is anodyne and mundane.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2024
Adam Rogers, Wired, 11 Feb. 2020
To yield to the soft tyranny of transgender pronouns is to pretend that gender dysphoria is an anodyne lifestyle on which societal legitimacy should be conferred, not a psychological malady requiring compassion and psychological treatment.
—Josh Hammer, National Review, 27 Jan. 2020
See All Example Sentences for anodyne
Adjective
The speculation here is that to delay every single response by GPT while it’s being double-checked for safety could unduly slow it down, when most questions and answers are totally anodyne.
—Jonathan L. Zittrain, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
What used to be complementary is now an up-charge, what used to be fueled by actors and human talent is now automated and impersonal, and what used to be special is anodyne and mundane.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2024
Noun
The result of all that rulemaking and political sensitivity is the anodyne Covid-19.
—Adam Rogers, Wired, 11 Feb. 2020
To yield to the soft tyranny of transgender pronouns is to pretend that gender dysphoria is an anodyne lifestyle on which societal legitimacy should be conferred, not a psychological malady requiring compassion and psychological treatment.
—Josh Hammer, National Review, 27 Jan. 2020
See All Example Sentences for anodyne
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anodyne
Adjective
-
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
Noun
-
Nosenko, meanwhile, would slip a sedative into his co-pilot’s coffee before takeoff, knocking him unconscious, and then report to his superiors that his jet was struck by Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire.—
Joshua Yaffa,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
-
The first attempt involved giving him sedatives a couple of hours before the appointment.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The bill permits the Treasury Department secretary to take action if financial institutions outside the United States are suspected of facilitating money laundering for narcotics purposes.—
Ross O'Keefe,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Patron Sanchez, who’s charged with continuing criminal enterprise, narcotics trafficking and firearms charges, faces the possibility of mandatory life in prison if he’s convicted.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The interrogation—albeit benign—at secondary inspection signaled the beginning.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Pollard revealed that the seemingly benign legislation benefited Goggin’s longtime friend and sometime business partner, Dennis Krieger, who was underwriting a stock sale for a company that made the only devices Goggin’s legislation would finance.—
Dan Walters,
Orange County Register,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Importantly, the medication is not an opioid, which means that medical professionals now have an alternative to treating acute pain that doesn’t require using a potentially addictive analgesic.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Jan. 2025
-
Acetaminophen, also an analgesic, works to enhance the opioid's pain-relieving capabilities.—
Ayesha Gulzar,
Verywell Health,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Tolerance is a side effect of many medications, such as opiates and benzodiazepines, which are often used to help treat pain and anxiety.—
Femi Aremu,
Verywell Health,
3 Feb. 2025
-
A day later, a social worker told the new mother: The baby’s meconium — or first bowel movement — had tested positive for opiates.—
Shoshana Walter,
USA TODAY,
11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Air travel is the absolute safest form of transportation, according to a 2024 Transportation Statistics Report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
-
That might mean holding hands or talking through memories of previous safe trips.—
Angela Haupt,
TIME,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This innocent man spent over three decades behind bars.—
Yash Roy,
CNN,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The stalking may just have been a way to bide time and screw up the courage for a dinner invite, but after their meal, Burt’s Outie might not be wholly innocent or trustworthy.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anodyne.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anodyne. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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