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 of harmless

• benign
• safe
• innocent
• innocuous
• inoffensive
• healthy

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

In the past few decades, as wildfires have become larger, faster, and more severe because of climate change, the focus has been on the considerable damage caused by the flames themselves; the smoke has been thought to be relatively harmless. —Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026

For most, that interaction feels harmless. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026

Social media is one of the key drivers and reinforcers of anti-Semitic extremism; tweets like Abd el-Fattah’s are not just harmless letting-off of steam. —Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025

About 1,700 of those injuries required emergency medical treatment, including many caused by sparklers—often mistakenly considered harmless. —Miami Herald Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th 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