as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
those innocuous lies we must tell every day if society is to remain civil
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Recent Examples of innocuous
To pediatricians like Eby, the outbreaks meant every typically innocuous symptom in clinic — every cough or sniffle, every hive or wheal or welt — put him and his staff on high alert.
—
Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025
Scholars and students alike say that even far more innocuous use of AI is fundamentally re-wiring our brains.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
These innocuous greens look like weeds but taste better than spinach.
—Von Diaz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025
Scholars and students alike say that even far more innocuous use of AI is fundamentally re-wiring our brains.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
These innocuous greens look like weeds but taste better than spinach.
—Von Diaz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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The infection develops when usually harmless bacteria travel through the respiratory tract and infiltrate the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, causing severe inflammation.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
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By adjusting a typical polymer synthesis to work in water, the researchers created the gas-permeable polymer polynorbornene, which is harmless to plants but which weakens the cell membranes of a various harmful bacteria.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Demonstrators argued that taxpayer money should not be used to harm or kill innocent people and rejected claims that the killing of Good was an act of self-defense.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Multiple innocent lives lost due to violence.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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