as in benign
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
a perfectly harmless little spider
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harmless
With 17 million watching, the audience, too, becomes possessed — including the president of the United States — providing unpredictable entertainment that morphs into evil when a supposedly harmless, fake exorcism turns all too real.
—
Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Our beauty on political battlegrounds may seem harmless at best, tactical at worst.
—Akilah Sailers, Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
People thought coke was the new No-Doz, a harmless pick-me-up powder.
—Tom Freston, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
As kobolds go, Heinzelmann was more harmless than most, going about his business protecting the castle from giants and dwarves and keeping the staff updated on faerie gossip, as well as protecting the chambermaids from unwelcome attentions from visiting noblemen.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harmless
Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Our beauty on political battlegrounds may seem harmless at best, tactical at worst.
—Akilah Sailers, Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
People thought coke was the new No-Doz, a harmless pick-me-up powder.
—Tom Freston, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
As kobolds go, Heinzelmann was more harmless than most, going about his business protecting the castle from giants and dwarves and keeping the staff updated on faerie gossip, as well as protecting the chambermaids from unwelcome attentions from visiting noblemen.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harmless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harmless
Adjective
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All worth watching, though perhaps with seasonal factors favorable, earnings clocking in near a 12% annual growth pace and credit markets showing little stress, a modest wobble is enough to skim away some froth and revert the market to its benign trend.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
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However, consuming a lot of beta carotene-rich foods may cause a benign, temporary condition called carotenodermia, which causes the skin to turn yellowish-orange.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The two men exchange grateful texts later that evening, home safe and stumped about where to go next.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Given sun in just the proper dose, which is no more than three or four hours of direct daily exposure, its innocent look of youth may persist for a decade.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Orlando Bloom is raising eyebrows after snapping a seemingly innocuous Halloween photo.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
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But to a person without kids or perhaps even a person who has never wrestled with the question of how to become a parent (or if to become one at all), these questions may seem perfectly innocuous.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The problem is that to be so universally inoffensive, an affiliative joke usually ends up being overworn and anodyne.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Nov. 2025
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The chocolate and vanilla are straightforward and inoffensive, but the Chocolate Banana and Cold Brew Coffee are where Koia really shines.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The acquisition of Anthony Davis has done 0 because the 32-year-old man can’t stay healthy.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Nov. 2025
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While maintaining a healthy weight plays a role in mitigating cardiovascular and diabetes risk, the measurement alone overlooks the importance of muscle as a predictor of healthy aging and longevity.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harmless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harmless. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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