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>
  3. Gossip is a relatively innocuous manifestation; fashioning one's self as eternally battling a white America mired in racism is a more noisome one. —John McWhorter, Wall Street Journal, 17 Sept. 2003

Origin of INNOCUOUS

Latin innocuus, from in- + nocēre (see innocent)
First Known Use: 1598

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