NOCUOUS Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

nocuous

adjective

ˈnä-kyə-wəs

Definition of nocuous

as in harmful

causing or capable of causing harm hand washing is one of the easiest ways to help prevent the spread of nocuous germs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nocuous

Adjective

Harry is known for speaking out in high-profile campaigns about the harmful impact of technology on young people.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
Too often, environmental advocates insist on the elimination of poaching, logging, and other harmful activities while remaining wholly unfamiliar with the factors at play that lead to predation, neglect, and abuse of nature.

— Juliet Kinsman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of harmful

Adjective

Wickline came on as an increasingly flustered Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei, who’s explaining why AI is dangerous without taking any responsibility for that.

— Rima Parikh, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026
The slow-moving storm, which killed a New York City housing authority worker when a tree fell Saturday, was expected to linger through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf all the way to New England.

— Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of dangerous

Adjective

Republicans are starting to realize that many of their president’s actions are detrimental to their extended political livelihoods.

— Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Garofalo and Cosco were among a scant few women who have chosen – or been able – to escape their crime families, albeit with inarguably detrimental results.

— Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of detrimental

Adjective

Of those, several found modest associations linking the mother’s use of her phone with adverse measures of fetal growth.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
Mac Haddow, with the American Kratom Association, said the FDA and states that have banned kratom are conflating the natural product with synthetic and chemically manipulated ones, which are associated with adverse effects and even deaths.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of adverse

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.

Browse Nearby Words

nocturnal

nocuous

nod

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Nocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nocuous. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of nocuous

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fungible

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes