as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
the otherwise anodyne comments sounded quite inflammatory when taken out of context
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in sedative
something (as a drug) that relieves pain
the dentist prescribed an anodyne after the root canal
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in narcotic
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
as an anodyne for the stress and superficiality of the modern world, there's nothing better than reading a literary classic of substance and insight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anodyne
Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
The problem is that to be so universally inoffensive, an affiliative joke usually ends up being overworn and anodyne.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
John Brant, Popular Mechanics, 27 Apr. 2020
This is the confluence that defines the spectacle: statistics, like photographs, have a kind of moral authority, one whose meaning may repel us but one that nevertheless encourages certainty, and thus anodyne.
—Shannon Pufahl, The New York Review of Books, 21 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for anodyne
Adjective
The Port, which is overseen by the county, issued its own anodyne statement at the time, never conceding any role in the problem.
—Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
The problem is that to be so universally inoffensive, an affiliative joke usually ends up being overworn and anodyne.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
Peterson pauses, running his hand along the blue aluminum-anodyne actuator machined to match the length of Daniel’s right thigh.
—John Brant, Popular Mechanics, 27 Apr. 2020
This is the confluence that defines the spectacle: statistics, like photographs, have a kind of moral authority, one whose meaning may repel us but one that nevertheless encourages certainty, and thus anodyne.
—Shannon Pufahl, The New York Review of Books, 21 Apr. 2020
See All Example Sentences for anodyne
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anodyne
Adjective
-
To an uncritical eye, the messages might have seemed like a harmless attempt at motivating a team.—
Hettie O'Brien,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Each piece looks harmless on its own.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All Florida executions are carried out by injecting a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.—
David Fischer,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
-
All Florida executions are by lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Authorities allege on July 21, 1993, Solis and two co-conspirators plotted a robbery of Guerrero, a narcotics supplier, at his Bronx apartment.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The little drone didn’t need to travel far to drop the narcotics off at a Lancaster church parking lot, where waiting hands would collect and distribute the drugs to their respective buyers.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some winds are considered benign; others harmful.—
Adam Pourahmadi,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
As propaganda goes, the patriotic programming was benign.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One approach to the treatment of pain, almost regardless of its cause, has gained both acceptance and notoriety: the use of opioids, or narcotic analgesics.—
Dr. Patricia Richard,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Here's what to know about the medication, a powerful painkiller that belongs to a group of medicines called opioid analgesics.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Are laughter and lightness merely opiates, or tools of the revolution, or both, or neither?—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Offering 99 percent accuracy for five different drugs, this drug test has exceptional sensitivity for detecting opiates in urine.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
As truck prices have risen, that tax has become a barrier to investing in newer, safer and cleaner vehicles.—
Andrew Stasiowski,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Officers said Figor's service made the city safer – and left a lasting bite out of crime.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the tranquilizer kicked in, the bear climbed higher into the tree before stumbling down a branch, eventually losing its grip completely and falling into the net.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Fentanyl in street drugs is in some cases being mixed with or supplemented by dangerous alternatives, including the animal tranquilizer medetomidine and cychlorphine, an emergent synthetic opioid that carries an extreme risk of overdose.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anodyne.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anodyne. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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