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
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
For people with mechanical allodynia, the brain no longer recognizes light touch as being innocuous and instead interprets it as being painful.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
Stalking behavior can seem, on its face, innocuous, Pohl said — sending someone flowers, sending messages that are polite, or even showing up at a home unarmed and sitting outside.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
Whatever the state gathers—whether the innocuous, the personal, or the intensely political—could in turn be used for arrests, detentions, fines, disappearances, and much worse.
—Justin Sherman, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
For people with mechanical allodynia, the brain no longer recognizes light touch as being innocuous and instead interprets it as being painful.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
Stalking behavior can seem, on its face, innocuous, Pohl said — sending someone flowers, sending messages that are polite, or even showing up at a home unarmed and sitting outside.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
Whatever the state gathers—whether the innocuous, the personal, or the intensely political—could in turn be used for arrests, detentions, fines, disappearances, and much worse.
—Justin Sherman, The Atlantic, 11 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 12 Nov. 2025.
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