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

Powered by harmless red and infrared laser beams that pass through brain tissue, the MOTE transmits data back through tiny pulses of infrared light that encode the brain’s electrical signals. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025

Historically, Mischief Night is supposed to be the night of harmless pranks, but many police departments have developed plans to prevent the shenanigans. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

With 17 million watching, the audience, too, becomes possessed — including the president of the United States — providing unpredictable entertainment that morphs into evil when a supposedly harmless, fake exorcism turns all too real. —Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025

Our beauty on political battlegrounds may seem harmless at best, tactical at worst. —Akilah Sailers, Essence, 29 Oct. 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