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 jailbreak ChatGPT, NBC News asked the models an innocuous question, included the jailbreak prompt and then asked an additional question that would normally trigger a denial for violating safety terms, like a request for how to create a dangerous poison or defraud a bank.
—
Jasmine Cui, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
But for a very small number of people, that innocuous posture can set off a cascade of vascular injury known as beauty parlor stroke syndrome (BPSS).
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Then again, paper straws seemed pretty innocuous, too, until several months ago.
—Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Typically caused by a sensitive immune system — which confuses innocuous bacteria for harmful pathogens — symptoms include fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss, anemia, skin changes, arthritis and more.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Jasmine Cui, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
But for a very small number of people, that innocuous posture can set off a cascade of vascular injury known as beauty parlor stroke syndrome (BPSS).
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Then again, paper straws seemed pretty innocuous, too, until several months ago.
—Rodney Carmichael, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Typically caused by a sensitive immune system — which confuses innocuous bacteria for harmful pathogens — symptoms include fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss, anemia, skin changes, arthritis and more.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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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
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This time, two small polyps were removed and found to be harmless.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Not everyone sees Saudi Arabia’s embrace of global fashion houses as benign cultural exchange.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Weiss says eight out of ten lumps are benign, or non-cancerous.—
Anisa Arsenault,
Health,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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