as in benign
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
a perfectly harmless little spider
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Recent Examples of harmless
Too little, however, can cause otherwise harmless particles to dry out and become airborne irritants.
—
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
These giant, but harmless, creatures are attracted by the lights, which in turn attract the plankton the rays dine on.
—Ben Davidson, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Some parasites are harmless, even for people with weakened immune systems.
—Sarah Boden, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
Grease and oil might look harmless, but grease has the potential to congeal and harden, while leftover oil can coat your pipes and cause other things to get stuck.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harmless
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
These giant, but harmless, creatures are attracted by the lights, which in turn attract the plankton the rays dine on.
—Ben Davidson, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Some parasites are harmless, even for people with weakened immune systems.
—Sarah Boden, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
Grease and oil might look harmless, but grease has the potential to congeal and harden, while leftover oil can coat your pipes and cause other things to get stuck.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harmless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harmless
Adjective
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One Battle After Another’s Kubrickian overtones are largely confined to Lockjaw’s story line — quite appropriate, as Kubrick was fascinated by how attempts to preserve power structures allowed murder to creep into the seemingly benign cadences of ordinary life.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
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However, targeting retailers who do business with the federal government in benign roles such as providing office furniture goes too far.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Atmos also urged anyone who suspects a natural gas leak to leave the area immediately and, from a safe distance, call 911 and its 24‑hour emergency line at (866) 322‑8667.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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Computing’s prestigious Turing Award went this week to two men who created a way of keeping digital communication safe even in the age of quantum computers.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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When a strange man lurks around the school asking supposedly innocent questions and the principal receives a severed human finger in the mail, the community is in an uproar.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
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His huddles at times resemble a family Sunday supper after the conversation turns to politics – everyone yelling, nobody listening, Izzo’s face reddening and a whiteboard left broken, the innocent victim of all the arguing (though they are rumored to be pre-cut to avoid splintering).—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Since many pregnant and postpartum women either struggle with or are recovering from a weak immune system, even germs from sources as innocuous as a bidet can prove irritating.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
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While some news segments can be fairly innocuous, others can be upsetting—and those stories can switch from one to the next after only a commercial break.—
Ella Cerón,
Parents,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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DeBrusk is the definition of a top-six guy and his top comps — Reilly Smith, Tyler Toffoli, Jason Zucker — speak to his inoffensive archetype.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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The inoffensive music and lyrics are by country music star Brandy Clark and prolific country music songwriter Shane McAnally, and sound more like typical modern Broadway showtunes than country songs.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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With the healthy game-changer in the fold for his third Aztecs season, the tailwind would feel like a sustained gust.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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Forwards Philipp Kurashev and Pavol Regenda, and defenseman Nick Leddy, were the Sharks’ other healthy scratches.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harmless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harmless. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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