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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of innocuous
Using the Thread Poets Society's TikTok account, Farnell shared a seemingly innocuous puzzle that left both her and Evie, her 7-year-old daughter, baffled during a family dinner.
—
Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
In what initially seemed to be a rather innocuous post on Instagram, Hill called for all his fans to meet him at the Aventura Mall, the location of his Soul Runner store.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Last week, Judge Carl J. Nichols, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, took the seemingly innocuous step of extending an order temporarily barring the U.S. Agency for International Development from involuntarily evacuating its employees from overseas assignments.
—Alan Feuer, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Under different circumstances, Irving's parting one-liner may have seemed innocuous.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
In what initially seemed to be a rather innocuous post on Instagram, Hill called for all his fans to meet him at the Aventura Mall, the location of his Soul Runner store.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Last week, Judge Carl J. Nichols, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, took the seemingly innocuous step of extending an order temporarily barring the U.S. Agency for International Development from involuntarily evacuating its employees from overseas assignments.
—Alan Feuer, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Under different circumstances, Irving's parting one-liner may have seemed innocuous.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
-
While castor beans themselves are harmless, ricin, when extracted correctly in a complex process, is lethal and has been the stuff of Cold War assassinations and the plot of a popular episode on the Breaking Bad television series.—
Michael Loria,
USA TODAY,
8 Mar. 2025
-
While these videos are mostly filter-free and appear to be harmless fun, Hines explained how beauty filters have altered the way the brain recognizes and prefers certain facial features.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Meghan Markle and Mindy Kaling on 'With Love, Meghan' With Love, Meghan is as gentle and benign as can be.—
Alanna Bennett,
refinery29.com,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Most benchmarks break losing streak U.S. markets mostly rebounded Wednesday on a benign inflation report.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In the final moments of last week’s episode, Hector Ayala, aka the hero White Tiger, was found innocent in his trial against the NYPD then shot and killed on the street by an unknown murderer.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Man Who Killed Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox's Roommate in Italy, Is Freed from Prison Still, despite being declared innocent and freed, Knox says she was never allowed to fully live her life again.—
Gillian Telling,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share