as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
an inoffensive little joke at the opening of his speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inoffensive
That approach amps up the comedy, especially the prevailing idea that the largely inoffensive Chad could be any kind of real threat to the staid little onstage community.
—
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
So this episode served as the Gang's uproarious middle finger to a television industry that prefers more middle-of-the-road, inoffensive crowd-pleasers, as the Paddy's crew swallowed their pride and entered the Annual Bar Association's best bar in Philly contest.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 2025
The party scenes with leggy dancers, meant to be decadent, are inoffensive.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
There would also be logistical questions to address, including who's responsible for supervising students if they are made to leave their classroom during certain lessons and how to select alternative material that is inoffensive to their parents.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
So this episode served as the Gang's uproarious middle finger to a television industry that prefers more middle-of-the-road, inoffensive crowd-pleasers, as the Paddy's crew swallowed their pride and entered the Annual Bar Association's best bar in Philly contest.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 2025
The party scenes with leggy dancers, meant to be decadent, are inoffensive.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
There would also be logistical questions to address, including who's responsible for supervising students if they are made to leave their classroom during certain lessons and how to select alternative material that is inoffensive to their parents.
—Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoffensive
Adjective
-
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
-
But plenty of seemingly harmless items contribute to the mess, too.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
Fields slept at downtown bus stops, often gathering with groups or pretending to have a firearm in her coat to stay safe.—
Ashley Hiruko,
ProPublica,
6 Oct. 2025
-
No payment data was accessed within the breach, meaning information like credits cards or transaction history was safe.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The new dating term 'Shrekking' sounds innocent.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inoffensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoffensive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share