innocuous

adjective

in·​noc·​u·​ous i-ˈnä-kyə-wəs 

1

: not likely to bother or offend : inoffensive

an innocuous comment/remark

The comedian's jokes were innocuous enough.

… newly aware that the behavior isn't as innocuous as they imagined.

—Conor Friedersdorf

2

: causing no injury or damage : harmless

an innocuous by-product of the process

What may seem innocuous at the time could lead to larger problems down the road.

—Marc Zalmanoff

innocuously adverb

innocuousness noun

Did you know?

Look at the Prefix to Define Innocuous

Innocuous is rooted in a lack of harm: it comes from the Latin adjective innocuus, which was formed by combining the negative prefix in- with a form of the verb nocēre, meaning “to harm” or “to hurt.” It first appeared in print in the early 1600s with the meaning “harmless; causing no injury,” as in “an innocuous gas,” and soon developed a second, metaphorical sense used to describe something that does not offend or cause hurt feelings, as in “an innocuous comment.” Innocent followed the same trajectory centuries before; its negative in- prefix joined with Latin nocent-, nocens, meaning “wicked,” which also comes from nocēre. This is not to say that nocēre has only contributed words that semantically negate the harm inherent in the root: nocēre is also the source of noxious and nuisance.

Synonyms of innocuous

• harmless
• benign
• innocent

Examples of innocuous in a Sentence

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

Small and innocuous looking, the habanero is uncontested as the hottest pepper in the world, the mother of all peppers. —Jim Robbins, Smithsonian, January 1992

And there was LeRoy … a somewhat gruesome but innocuous neighborhood dimwit who gave me the creeps when he sat down on the front stoop to listen to a bunch of us talking after school. —Philip Roth, New York Times Book Review, 18 Oct. 1987

The salamander, an innocuous amphibian like a big newt, was also regarded with a mixture of horror and awe. —David Attenborough, The First Eden, 1987

He told a few innocuous jokes.

those innocuous lies we must tell every day if society is to remain civil

Recent Examples on the Web

With a full roster in hand, the group will call employees directly, pretending to be a new hire with innocuous-seeming questions about platforms, cloud access, and other tech infrastructure. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026

These seemingly innocuous actions can kindle dry grass, potentially triggering a wildfire. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025

Furthermore, the former medical examiner noted that the chemicals likely originated from innocuous sources, such as hair dyes and hairspray. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025

To pediatricians like Eby, the outbreaks meant every typically innocuous symptom in clinic — every cough or sniffle, every hive or wheal or welt — put him and his staff on high alert. —Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin innocuus, from in- + nocēre — see innocent entry 1

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

innocuous

adjective

in·​noc·​u·​ous in-ˈäk-yə-wəs 

1

: producing no injury : harmless

an innocuous gas

2

: not likely to bother anyone : inoffensive

made a few innocuous jokes

innocuously adverb

innocuousness noun

Medical Definition

innocuous

adjective

in·​noc·​u·​ous in-ˈäk-yə-wəs 

: producing no injury : not harmful

innocuously adverb