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

• 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

Ultimately harmless, this was the piece of the bomb that would ignite the charge in the main body of the projectile. —Michael Jerome Plunkett september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025

This compulsion to celebrate himself in general, and to celebrate such a juvenile, harmless gesture in particular, should be yet another reason to lose all patience with Lee Raybon. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025

The spicules themselves begin dissolving right away and are fully broken down into harmless, water-soluble components within 24 hours. —Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

While some bacteria is harmless, some E coli can make people sick with a wide range of issues, including diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis, and other illnesses. —Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th 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