nonthreatening

adjective non·threat·en·ing \ ˌnän-ˈthret-niŋ , -ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: nonthreatening in a Sentence

Definition of nonthreatening

1 : not constituting a threat

a nonthreatening illness

2 : not likely to cause anxiety

a nonthreatening environment

; also : innocuous 2

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Examples of nonthreatening in a Sentence

It's best to approach the dog in a calm, nonthreatening way.

Recent Examples of nonthreatening from the Web

The ball soared of Clemens’ bat, a seemingly nonthreatening fly to deep left.

— nick moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Bocchi, Clemens lead Texas to CWS for 36th time," 11 June 2018
In the Colorado legal world, Gorsuch was known as a menschy and nonthreatening Republican.

— simon van zuylen-wood, Daily Intelligencer, "How Neil Gorsuch Became the Second-Most-Polarizing Man in Washington," 28 May 2018
Police agencies can walk away if the individual seems nonthreatening, and hospitals can discharge patients after a medical assessment and before a psychiatric assessment can be made.

— thomas curwen, latimes.com, "Should California expand what it means to be 'gravely disabled'?," 18 Apr. 2018
In the past, Putin has campaigned against a roster of nonthreatening challengers that neither debate nor criticize him.

— yana gorokhovskaia, Washington Post, "In Moscow, candidates opposed to Putin are running — and winning. Here’s why that matters.," 4 Jan. 2018
They were raised on King, the myth, sanitized for general consumption — some would say rendered nonthreatening to white America — and passed on through school programs and feel good television specials.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy still lives on in the work of young Baltimore activists," 4 Apr. 2018
Cartoonish in-jokes turn out to be an effective, nonthreatening entry point for even the most extreme ideologies.

— angela watercutter, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Memes," 1 Apr. 2018
According to CBS News Los Angeles, the 46-year-old Feldman -- who drove himself to the hospital -- received what police characterized as a minor, nonthreatening stab wound to the abdomen.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Actor Corey Feldman hospitalized after he says he was stabbed," 28 Aug. 2017
That says a lot about Atkins' pleasant, nonthreatening personality.

— george skelton, latimes.com, "In her historic rise to California Senate leader, Toni Atkins brings hope for a calmer era in the Capitol," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonthreatening.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.