unthreatening

adjective

Definition of unthreateningnext
1
as in nonthreatening

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in benign

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 unthreatening Even facing just one half of Lamar Jackson and a mostly unthreatening Tyler Huntley, this defense did just enough against a top-10 rushing attack after putting some of the worst tape of any run defense in the league the past 5-6 weeks. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Dec. 2025 This year’s furry green villain is more funny than scary, his behavior unthreatening, his confrontational manner with the Whos never feeling particularly dangerous. — Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025 Maye was too likeable, the team still a bit too unthreatening, Inciong said. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 7 Nov. 2025 Equities are taking it in stride mostly because the absolute yield level is unthreatening, not enough of a pop to signal that the Fed made a policy error by trimming overnight rates. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unthreatening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unthreatening
  1. nonthreatening
  2. benign
  3. harmless
  4. favorable
  5. innocuous
  6. promising
  7. safe
  8. encouraging
Adjective
  • Instead of the industrial look favored by many rival robots, NEO is notable for its aggressively nonthreatening appearance.
    — James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Here, grizzlies don’t equate people with food—as opposed to populated areas where alluring smells forge a connection—and have learned to tolerate humans, thanks to decades of naturalists adopting nonthreatening practices.
    — Susan Portnoy, AFAR Media, 3 Oct. 2025
Definition of nonthreatening
Adjective
  • There have been rare cases of cells turning pre-cancerous, with one severe case triggering a squamous cell carcinoma, though erythema ab igne is typically regarded as a benign condition.
    — Mike McRae September 09, New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The rare but benign condition impacted her balance and caused headaches.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of benign
Adjective
  • Its short fangs can likely pierce human skin, but the spider is not known to bite humans and is considered harmless.
    — Melissa Petruzzello, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • When we are inoculated against a disease, we are exposed to a small, harmless dose of something dangerous.
    — Rebecca Stafford, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of harmless
Adjective
  • Higher values are more favorable for a team’s fantasy players.
    — Jake Ciely, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As for Democrats, only 22% in his home state now have a favorable view of him.
    — Maham Javaid, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of favorable
Adjective
  • That included building seemingly innocuous details in the main set that could, once things got very dark, be weaponized later.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Welker’s comment may seem innocuous or even complimentary to Trump by suggesting an outsized importance in this year’s elections.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of innocuous
Adjective
  • In a matter of seconds, Suzuki’s vision had created a promising crossing opportunity.
    — Aston Villa, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Through the partnership, athletes will have exclusive opportunities to build relationships with Adidas early in their careers, while the sportswear brand gains meaningful exposure to some of basketball’s and football’s most promising stars.
    — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of promising
Adjective
  • While rights activists accuse Bukele's government of widespread abuses, the country is notably safer than many other countries whose people have recently lost TPS protections.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Players around the country were shaken, uncertain about the safety of air travel and whether their families would be safe from potential acts of terror to follow.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of safe
Adjective
  • The injury report looks encouraging for the opener, with only running back Ty Johnson and defensive back Jordan Hancock not practicing Wednesday.
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The most encouraging part of Broadcom's earnings report last week was CEO Hock Tan's multiyear AI revenue targets.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of encouraging

Browse Nearby Words

unthreads
unthreatening
unthrifty
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unthreatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unthreatening. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of quorum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All