as in benign
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
a perfectly harmless little spider
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Recent Examples of harmless
The odds are that the probe will land somewhere harmless.
—
Brett Tingley, Space.com, 9 May 2025
Tossing in a load of wash at home sounds ordinary and harmless.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025
While many types of E. coli are harmless and even beneficial to the digestive tract, some strains produce a toxin called colibactin, which is capable of mutating human DNA.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 May 2025
While most spiders found in homes across the country usually are harmless, some can be venomous.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for harmless
Brett Tingley, Space.com, 9 May 2025
Tossing in a load of wash at home sounds ordinary and harmless.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025
While many types of E. coli are harmless and even beneficial to the digestive tract, some strains produce a toxin called colibactin, which is capable of mutating human DNA.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 May 2025
While most spiders found in homes across the country usually are harmless, some can be venomous.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for harmless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harmless
Adjective
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The threat turned out to be benign, but the panic of lockdown was real.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
23 May 2025
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Urinary symptoms, such as frequent urination or difficulty urinating, are quite common in older men and are usually due to benign conditions like having an enlarged prostate, CBS News medical contributor Dr. Celine Gounder says.—
Jordan Freiman,
CBS News,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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If the sky becomes threatening and thunder can be heard, find a safe place to shelter.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 May 2025
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In healthy cultures, people feel safe to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and explore new ideas.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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The soap is said to smell like Sweeney’s childhood homeland, the Pacific Northwest, so anyone who has a warm and innocent association with that area’s pine, Douglas fir and earthy moss essence is likely to have that completely ruined.—
Christie D’Zurilla,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2025
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Al Nassr When a YouTuber named Abu Omar dared to do an innocent impression of supervillain Lionel Messi at the home of Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr gave a calm and measured response.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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But solar storms can also have more innocuous consequences on Earth, such as supercharged displays of the northern lights.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
14 May 2025
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Photo: Katie Ward There were times my body felt innocuous.—
Carla Sosenko,
Vogue,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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But its efforts to remain anonymous and inoffensive have been undone by allegations of labor abuses, environmental criticisms and, despite moving its headquarters to Singapore, persistent concerns about its Chinese ownership.—
Timothy McLaughlin,
Wired News,
5 May 2025
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The actual criterion, however, has tended to be a sort of weak-willed, inoffensive obsequiousness, such that all the countries on the Security Council will approve of you—and can use you as a scapegoat whenever necessary.—
Amanda Chicago Lewis,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Potential Risks Okra water is generally safe for most healthy adults.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Verywell Health,
21 May 2025
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This will enable you to see if the organization is financially healthy.—
Maayan Aviv,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harmless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harmless. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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