innocuous

in·noc·u·ous

adj \i-ˈnä-kyə-wəs\

Definition of INNOCUOUS

1

: producing no injury : harmless

2

: not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility : inoffensive, insipid

— in·noc·u·ous·ly adverb

— in·noc·u·ous·ness noun

Examples of INNOCUOUS

1. He told a few innocuous jokes.
2. <those innocuous lies we must tell every day if society is to remain civil>

Origin of INNOCUOUS

Latin innocuus, from in- + nocēre

First Known Use: 1598

Related to INNOCUOUS

Synonyms: anodyne, benign, hurtless, innocent, harmless, inoffensive, safe, white

Antonyms: adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked

Related Words: healthful, healthy, salubrious, wholesome; benignant; sound, trustworthy; gentle, gracious, mild; nonthreatening, painless, unobjectionable; noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious, nonlethal, nonpoisonous, nonpolluting, nontoxic, nonvenomous

Near Antonyms: poisonous, venomous; menacing, ominous, sinister, threatening; hazardous, imperiling (or imperilling), jeopardizing, parlous, perilous, risky, unsafe, unsound; nasty, noisome, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome; offensive, painful, scathing, wounding; deadly, fatal, lethal, ruinous; destructive, insidious, malignant, noxious, pestilent, polluted, tainted

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