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
In a sweet video that sees the two Emmy nominees finally meet, Cooper is shooting a seemingly innocuous promo clip, with no idea that the Presumed Innocent star is on his way into the studio.
—
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Perhaps the evildoer asks for something seemingly innocuous but is part of a subtle step in a larger evil plan.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Tuesday’s release marks the first step in an annual review called benchmarking, a previously innocuous process that’s been applied to BLS jobs data in some shape or form for 90 years.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Some of their success may also be due to a fairly innocuous body part—thumbnails.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Perhaps the evildoer asks for something seemingly innocuous but is part of a subtle step in a larger evil plan.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Tuesday’s release marks the first step in an annual review called benchmarking, a previously innocuous process that’s been applied to BLS jobs data in some shape or form for 90 years.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Some of their success may also be due to a fairly innocuous body part—thumbnails.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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Lawmakers have promised that schools and local governments, which receive a large share of the sales tax revenue the state collects, will be held harmless by the shift.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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But plenty of seemingly harmless items contribute to the mess, too.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These benign growths are most often asymptomatic (without symptoms) and usually found by chance during imaging for other reasons.—
MD Published,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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Jones' assessments of the situation featured everything from benign, informational updates to suggesting Parsons could get hit by a car while discussing the implications of signing the 26-year-old star to a long-term deal.—
Jacob Camenker,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As with all investigations leading to arrest, the subjects of the investigation are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The new dating term 'Shrekking' sounds innocent.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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