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
But these seemingly innocuous decisions could stand to pose a serious threat to society at large, as argued below.
—
Yoshua Bengio, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Nonresponsive strategies look superficially innocuous.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Oct. 2025
But with the latter somewhat marginalized in the Braves' lineup compared to his true talent level, might these seemingly innocuous signings signal a willingness to make a trade?
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Comedian Josh Pray has started using it in front of his kids, working it into his videos, desperate to reclaim a formerly innocuous number.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Yoshua Bengio, Time, 22 Oct. 2025
Nonresponsive strategies look superficially innocuous.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Oct. 2025
But with the latter somewhat marginalized in the Braves' lineup compared to his true talent level, might these seemingly innocuous signings signal a willingness to make a trade?
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Comedian Josh Pray has started using it in front of his kids, working it into his videos, desperate to reclaim a formerly innocuous number.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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Here are five times what seemed like a harmless toy turned into a puzzling moment online.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
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This is usually harmless and goes away when intake is reduced.—
Barbie Cervoni,
Verywell Health,
7 Nov. 2025
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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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
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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