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
These feel natural and nonthreatening but still move the conversation forward.
—
Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for nonthreatening
Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for nonthreatening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonthreatening
Adjective
-
In fact, research indicates that a healthy diet in addition to frequent exercise can promote significant risk reductions for rates of heart attacks.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The rainbows were fat and healthy, with broad shoulders.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The bacteria are generally harmless in the gut, but when shed in feces and transferred to the urinary tract, the microbes can travel up the urethra and settle in the bladder.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Skin tags and cherry angiomas Skin tags are harmless growths that can appear anywhere on your skin but most commonly develop on the neck, eyelids, or underarms.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But hiding behind this benign climate state was all that titanic power flowing through the climate system.—
Adam Frank,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
While a standard Whiskey Sour is a delightful experience, almost invariably mixed with bourbon and made smooth and unobjectionable with egg white, the Rattlesnake is that same framework but greener.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2026
-
After all, humans often intervene in the natural order in morally unobjectionable ways.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Plus, the jojoba oil gives it a light, inoffensive smell that’s heavenly to inhale compared to the strong, cloying scents of other men’s products.—
Irene Richardson,
InStyle,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Breaking no barriers, the EX60 is a design evolution with clean, simple lines and inoffensive shape.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The calls were fairly innocuous and typically would not raise eyebrows.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
With a full roster in hand, the group will call employees directly, pretending to be a new hire with innocuous-seeming questions about platforms, cloud access, and other tech infrastructure.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
All these people and all this effort are required to make the Bridgertons’ lives painless and pleasant.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The procedure generally takes under an hour in total and should be completely painless.—
Hedy Phillips,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This bipartisan, bicameral reform deserves quick passage so servicemembers and their families have a safe place to call home.—
JAMES HERRERA MONTEREY HERALD,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Things like inflation, central bank interest rate changes, and currency fluctuations all affect whether people see Bitcoin as a risky asset to buy when the economy is good or, alternatively, a safe haven when things are unstable.—
K.H. Koehler,
jsonline.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonthreatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonthreatening. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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