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
Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
Even Coldplay’s anodyne frontman Chris Martin couldn’t ignore their response.
—Steven Levy, Wired News, 22 Aug. 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
The kitchen needs to turn out three meals a day that are creative enough to draw in finicky locals, anodyne enough to satisfy an international clientele, and sturdy enough to survive the room-service gauntlet.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025
Even Coldplay’s anodyne frontman Chris Martin couldn’t ignore their response.
—Steven Levy, Wired News, 22 Aug. 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
-
So that seemingly innocent Machu Picchu stamp—one of the most popular souvenir stamps around—could be viewed not as a harmless keepsake but as an unauthorized alteration that might jeopardize your ability to travel.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This time, two small polyps were removed and found to be harmless.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Texas began solely using pentobarbital, a sedative, for executions in 2012.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Popular since the Soviet days, Validol, a mild sedative sold over the counter, flies off the shelves in tens of millions each year.—
Nina Khrushcheva,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While Washington frames the buildup as a counter-narcotics effort, its scale and coordination have drawn comparisons to prewar mobilizations, highlighting the growing intensity of the standoff.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Drug runners often transport narcotics through a large stretch of water on the Pacific Ocean and drop them off in Mexico, where they’re subsequently smuggled into the US or Europe.—
David Culver,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Not everyone sees Saudi Arabia’s embrace of global fashion houses as benign cultural exchange.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Weiss says eight out of ten lumps are benign, or non-cancerous.—
Anisa Arsenault,
Health,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The draft guidance could shape clinical trial designs, labeling considerations and FDA review expectations for future prescription non-opioid analgesics seeking approval for chronic pain indications, potentially influencing investment and development priorities in the pharmaceutical industry.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Tylenol’s active ingredient is acetaminophen, a drug that is known as an analgesic, which can help with pain relief.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These chemicals can be even more potent than other opiates and produce comparable hallucinogenic effects, increasing the desirability of the cut fentanyl on the market.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Boston Magazine reported that during her training she was ultimately dismissed for administering opiates without a doctor’s order and leaving her shift early.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Prison guards have struggled to stay safe in the facility due to its outdated design.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
These safe haven laws allow parents to relinquish their parental rights within a time limit that differs state to state, according to the National Safe Haven Alliance.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
De Silva, police noted, was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the quarrel and was not believed to have been the target.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
So that seemingly innocent Machu Picchu stamp—one of the most popular souvenir stamps around—could be viewed not as a harmless keepsake but as an unauthorized alteration that might jeopardize your ability to travel.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anodyne.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anodyne. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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