as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
those innocuous lies we must tell every day if society is to remain civil
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Recent Examples of innocuous
At first, Travis seems like a kind of modern George Tesman, Hedda Gabler’s blithely innocuous spouse, blessed by birth and not challenged much since.
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Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024
My affinity for the monitoring devices stems from watching TikTok videos of the most miniature and innocuous of pets terrorizing delivery people.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2024
Yet Alcala simply the most toxic example of something else, something that seems somehow invisible yet unavoidable, percolating even during the most innocuous moments.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024
Take, for example, an ostensibly innocuous monitoring tool like Sandvine, which was repurposed to suppress dissent in Egypt and Belarus.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for innocuous 
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2024
My affinity for the monitoring devices stems from watching TikTok videos of the most miniature and innocuous of pets terrorizing delivery people.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2024
Yet Alcala simply the most toxic example of something else, something that seems somehow invisible yet unavoidable, percolating even during the most innocuous moments.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024
Take, for example, an ostensibly innocuous monitoring tool like Sandvine, which was repurposed to suppress dissent in Egypt and Belarus.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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Jar Jar Binks Actor Reflects on Backlash to Phantom Menace: 'My Career Began and Ended' with Star Wars (Exclusive) Mr. Reed, Grant’s character in Heretic, appears to be harmless at first, welcoming two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into his home.Jen Juneau, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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Microaggressions can seem harmless or minor, but can accumulate and cause significant stress or discomfort for the recipient.Michaela Zee, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Examine the clues, discard the red herrings, ignore the obvious, and clock the suspicious behavior of that seemingly benign neighbor.Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
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While some reasons are more benign than others, the behavior can signal larger health concerns, says Alt.Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The message was clear: Even if your group is defined by targeting innocent people, the Biden-Harris White House will bestow the same legitimacy upon you as any nation-state by granting you a seat at the negotiating table.Pat Fallon, National Review, 3 Nov. 2024
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Investigators believe the two men who were injured were innocent bystanders, police said.Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near innocuous
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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