as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
an inoffensive little joke at the opening of his speech
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inoffensive
The chocolate and vanilla are straightforward and inoffensive, but the Chocolate Banana and Cold Brew Coffee are where Koia really shines.
—
Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Oct. 2025
The couple turns out to be blandly inoffensive, and after their brief encounter, the two women change their topic of conversation, moving on to dating and the narrator’s experience using dating apps.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
The song structures and melodies are familiar; the production is largely inoffensive, and any pop radio station can play these lyrics.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Panahi’s work up to this point might have been considered inoffensive, even safe, which made his next film, 2000’s The Circle, a major shift.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Oct. 2025
The couple turns out to be blandly inoffensive, and after their brief encounter, the two women change their topic of conversation, moving on to dating and the narrator’s experience using dating apps.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
The song structures and melodies are familiar; the production is largely inoffensive, and any pop radio station can play these lyrics.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
Panahi’s work up to this point might have been considered inoffensive, even safe, which made his next film, 2000’s The Circle, a major shift.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoffensive
Adjective
-
Despite their nickname, springtails are harmless to humans, do not bite, and are a different species from fleas.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
22 Jan. 2026
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User-facing large language models like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini have been trained to roleplay as a particular character—as a helpful, harmless assistant.—
Tharin Pillay,
Time,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But hiding behind this benign climate state was all that titanic power flowing through the climate system.—
Adam Frank,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Researchers with the University of Miami and the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) found that ChatGPT will magnify particular political views — especially those labeled as authoritarian — after seemingly benign user interactions.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
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The world is safer when the United States leads.—
Paul McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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So write to the White House and tell them to start working for the American people, rather than writing letters to the newspaper labeling a deceased innocent woman a rioter.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
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Just over two weeks later, an innocent woman in a BMW sedan was killed after her car was hit by a theft suspect fleeing Fullerton police in La Palma.—
Nathaniel Percy,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inoffensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoffensive. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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