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
Entertainment reporters behind velvet ropes would ask frisky if innocuous questions of the movie’s stars, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot.
—
Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
After a walk through the woods, what seems like an innocuous tick bite has grotesquely unexpected consequences in this creepy little shocker from fest alum Pete Ohs (Jethica, Overlook ‘22).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
Obfuscating the actual transaction and presenting an innocuous skin.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
From the speeches to O'Brien's bits to the presenter banter, everything was too innocuous to be totally interesting.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
After a walk through the woods, what seems like an innocuous tick bite has grotesquely unexpected consequences in this creepy little shocker from fest alum Pete Ohs (Jethica, Overlook ‘22).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
Obfuscating the actual transaction and presenting an innocuous skin.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
From the speeches to O'Brien's bits to the presenter banter, everything was too innocuous to be totally interesting.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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The Northern Lights in Mexico that trended on social media were technically harmless — but if an even more powerful storm strikes, pictures of the mesmerizing aurora may struggle to make it to the internet.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Compared to other insects, most ants are harmless, Hayes said, adding that, unlike mosquitoes, ants do not carry diseases that can infect humans.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Such defenses include profiling victims before an attack is mounted, and can even provide an escape path to a benign alternative to prevent the threat being flagged.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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In total, 11 members of the fifth-floor maternity unit at Mass General’s Newton-Wellesley Hospital have reported suffering from health issues, including the nurses diagnosed with the benign tumors.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At first, his relationship with Claire seemed innocent enough.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2025
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The show follows an innocent father (Worthington) serving life in prison for the murder of his own son.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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