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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Here are five times what seemed like a harmless toy turned into a puzzling moment online.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
-
This is usually harmless and goes away when intake is reduced.—
Barbie Cervoni,
Verywell Health,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Florida’s lethal injections use a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
19 Dec. 2025
-
Florida executions are done via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, per the state's Department of Corrections.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Jailhouse records show that Smith was disciplined at least five times between 2010 and 2017 for infractions including self-mutilation, drug use and possession of narcotics or marijuana.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
-
According to one House Democrat, lawmakers were told the narcotics being targeted in the shipments were cocaine, not fentanyl.—
Anne Flaherty,
ABC News,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Nestled in the tiny eastern Connecticut town, the century-old building that once housed Burdick’s General Store appears to be an ordinary, benign example of historic New England architecture.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
-
While largely benign, motion sickness can be highly unpleasant — often causing nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, as well as sweating, headache, and irritability in some cases.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
8 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
-
ProPublica reviewed cutoff levels used to confirm the presence of common drugs, including opiates, meth, THC and cocaine, as cited in court records, labs’ contracts with government agencies and scientific journals, as well as in interviews with toxicologists.—
Lucas Waldron,
ProPublica,
6 Jan. 2026
-
According to a coroner’s report obtained by TMZ, Peterson reportedly had a deadly cocktail of prescription drugs in her system at the time of her death, including benzodiazepines, opiates and phenothiazines (an anti-psychotic medication).—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Having no cool aunt of my own and no elder sisters, just teenage babysitters and camp counselors (each with their own unique but tenuous grasp on anatomy and reproductive science), the book felt warm, inviting, and—perhaps most important to my terrified, bleeding, self—safe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The two men exchange grateful texts later that evening, home safe and stumped about where to go next.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
After that, three more were first shot with tranquilizer darts, identified as adults, and then euthanized.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Experts note that facilities housing primates conduct routine drills and maintain tranquilizer equipment for rare escape events such as this one.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
17 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anodyne.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anodyne. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share