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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of anodyne
Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
But Meyers’s lead-in is Jimmy Fallon at The Tonight Show, who tends to occupy a more politically anodyne space.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Shannon Pufahl, The New York Review of Books, 21 Apr. 2020
Ten years ago, lazy auto writers used the Toyota Camry as shorthand for anodyne transportation, a car for people who think of cars as appliances.
—Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 13 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for anodyne
Adjective
This season of The Golden Bachelor is shaping up to be the most anodyne viewing of the fall.
—Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
But Meyers’s lead-in is Jimmy Fallon at The Tonight Show, who tends to occupy a more politically anodyne space.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
Ten years ago, lazy auto writers used the Toyota Camry as shorthand for anodyne transportation, a car for people who think of cars as appliances.
—Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 13 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for anodyne
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anodyne
Adjective
-
The bacteria are generally harmless in the gut, but when shed in feces and transferred to the urinary tract, the microbes can travel up the urethra and settle in the bladder.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Skin tags and cherry angiomas Skin tags are harmless growths that can appear anywhere on your skin but most commonly develop on the neck, eyelids, or underarms.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine are the two active components of kratom, which is sourced from trees in Southeast Asia and is a stimulant in low doses and a sedative in high doses, according to a fact sheet from the Drug Enforcement Administration.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The sedative is not typically tested for as it cannot be legally obtained in the United States.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Since the operation began last October, more than a dozen firearms have been seized, along with nearly $200,000 in illicit funds and more than 10 kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl and other narcotics, according to the FBI.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Last November, the service launched a VTOL drone produced by ShieldAI called the MQ-35 V-BAT from a cutter to intercept illicit narcotics at sea, with three interdictions made in one night.—
Zita Ballinger Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But as her parents Michelle and Mark Sneddon told STV news, it was dismissed as benign hormonal changes.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Will longer-term Treasury yields stay in their benign range as all this unfolds?—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The feds began cracking down on prescription opioid analgesics (OAs) to combat their overprescribing to people with pain issues.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
19 Dec. 2025
-
Some studies suggest lemongrass has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and analgesic (pain-relieving) properties.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
When Samson starts coming round in search of more of the morphine darts Kelson has been using to subdue him — not even zombies are immune to the appeal of opiates — Kelson starts treating his wounds, then joining him in his doses, then dancing with him to fragments of ’80s songs.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2026
-
But Clarke is worried about patients losing out on things like steroid injections, which help manage pain without opiates or surgery.—
Jillian Taylor,
StateImpact,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This bipartisan, bicameral reform deserves quick passage so servicemembers and their families have a safe place to call home.—
JAMES HERRERA MONTEREY HERALD,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Things like inflation, central bank interest rate changes, and currency fluctuations all affect whether people see Bitcoin as a risky asset to buy when the economy is good or, alternatively, a safe haven when things are unstable.—
K.H. Koehler,
jsonline.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After that, officials decided to use tranquilizer darts to take down the animals believed to be the three adults in the pack before euthanizing them.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Recent years, for example, have seen a major increase in adulteration with the horse tranquilizer xylazine, which knocks users out but doesn’t satisfy the opioid craving.—
Charles Fain Lehman,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anodyne.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anodyne. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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