1
: free from harm, liability, or loss
2
: lacking capacity or intent to injure : innocuous
a harmless joke
harmlessly
adverb
harmlessness
noun
Synonyms
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
At the center of the dispute: a hold—harmless provision designed to protect school districts with students from low-income families and high-poverty areas from significant drops in funding.
—
Lucas Wright, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
While Nica is as naive and innocent as a harmless butterfly, Rigel is often compared to the volatility of a wolf.
—Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
That last feature is harmless to try, though ultimately unnecessary.
—PCMAG, 17 Mar. 2024
While this is usually harmless, the presence of these external programs allows external parties unpermitted access to one’s data, transactions, responses, and assets.
—Maria Paula Fernandez, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Some of this insanity (a lot, in fact) seems pretty harmless.
—Jonah Gercke, SPIN, 15 Mar. 2024
While polyps are usually harmless, a few can turn into cancers, so doctors want to find all of them and remove them to prevent cancers from forming.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
The photograph seemed harmless at first — children dressed like Ralph Lauren models and Middleton’s 1000 teeth gleaming at us.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
Crane flies are harmless insects that do not bite, sting or transmit diseases to humans or animals.
—The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024
Lucas Wright, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
While Nica is as naive and innocent as a harmless butterfly, Rigel is often compared to the volatility of a wolf.
—Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
That last feature is harmless to try, though ultimately unnecessary.
—PCMAG, 17 Mar. 2024
While this is usually harmless, the presence of these external programs allows external parties unpermitted access to one’s data, transactions, responses, and assets.
—Maria Paula Fernandez, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Some of this insanity (a lot, in fact) seems pretty harmless.
—Jonah Gercke, SPIN, 15 Mar. 2024
While polyps are usually harmless, a few can turn into cancers, so doctors want to find all of them and remove them to prevent cancers from forming.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
The photograph seemed harmless at first — children dressed like Ralph Lauren models and Middleton’s 1000 teeth gleaming at us.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
Crane flies are harmless insects that do not bite, sting or transmit diseases to humans or animals.
—The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harmless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near harmless
Cite this Entry
“Harmless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harmless. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
harmless
adjective
harm·less
ˈhärm-ləs 
1
: free from harm
2
: unable to harm
harmlessly
adverb
harmlessness
noun
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