as in healthy
not likely to cause someone to be afraid or worried; not threatening
It's best to approach the dog in a calm, nonthreatening way.
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Recent Examples of nonthreatening
Pittsburgh Penguins The Athletic rating: 3.5 (6th) Fan rating: 3.7 (7th)
McIndoe: Penguins are adorable, nonthreatening and almost completely harmless.
—
James Mirtle, New York Times, 20 May 2025
That last one may simply be unique to Logan Lerman, the latest nonthreatening boy to take center stage in HAIM’s new album rollout.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Her previous recipes have included homemade marmalade, ratatouille, pasta from scratch, and tzatziki dip, which all sound lovely and nonthreatening.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 31 Mar. 2023
Talk over your concerns with your boss in a nonthreatening and professional way.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonthreatening
James Mirtle, New York Times, 20 May 2025
That last one may simply be unique to Logan Lerman, the latest nonthreatening boy to take center stage in HAIM’s new album rollout.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Her previous recipes have included homemade marmalade, ratatouille, pasta from scratch, and tzatziki dip, which all sound lovely and nonthreatening.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 31 Mar. 2023
Talk over your concerns with your boss in a nonthreatening and professional way.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonthreatening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonthreatening
Adjective
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The acquisition of Anthony Davis has done 0 because the 32-year-old man can’t stay healthy.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Nov. 2025
-
While maintaining a healthy weight plays a role in mitigating cardiovascular and diabetes risk, the measurement alone overlooks the importance of muscle as a predictor of healthy aging and longevity.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
10 Nov. 2025
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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But the triumph is unobjectionable, unquestionable.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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Despite a solid cast and some decent jokes, the series rarely rises above the level of pleasantly unobjectionable, much less distinctly memorable.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The problem is that to be so universally inoffensive, an affiliative joke usually ends up being overworn and anodyne.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Nov. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Orlando Bloom is raising eyebrows after snapping a seemingly innocuous Halloween photo.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
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But to a person without kids or perhaps even a person who has never wrestled with the question of how to become a parent (or if to become one at all), these questions may seem perfectly innocuous.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The process was quick and painless, and I was soon handed off to my first local guide, Clarissa.—
Taylor McIntyre,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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Brunch is a supremely painless solution for fulfilling certain social obligations.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Having no cool aunt of my own and no elder sisters, just teenage babysitters and camp counselors (each with their own unique but tenuous grasp on anatomy and reproductive science), the book felt warm, inviting, and—perhaps most important to my terrified, bleeding, self—safe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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The two men exchange grateful texts later that evening, home safe and stumped about where to go next.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonthreatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonthreatening. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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