nonthreatening

adjective

non·​threat·​en·​ing ˌnän-ˈthret-niŋ 

-ˈthre-tᵊn-iŋ

1

: not constituting a threat

a nonthreatening illness

2

: not likely to cause anxiety

a nonthreatening environment

also : innocuous sense 2

Examples of nonthreatening in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

There have been 14 missiles fired — 13 were knocked down, and 1 was ‘set free,’ because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction. —Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025

There have been 14 missiles fired — 13 were knocked down, and 1 was 'set free,' because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025

These feel natural and nonthreatening but still move the conversation forward. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

Pittsburgh Penguins The Athletic rating: 3.5 (6th) Fan rating: 3.7 (7th) McIndoe: Penguins are adorable, nonthreatening and almost completely harmless. —James Mirtle, New York Times, 20 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nonthreatening

• threatening

Kids Definition

nonthreatening

adjective

non·​threat·​en·​ing -ˈthret-ᵊn-iŋ 

1

: not constituting a threat

a nonthreatening illness

2

: not likely to cause anxiety

nonthreatening activities

also : innocuous sense 2