as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
those innocuous lies we must tell every day if society is to remain civil
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Recent Examples of innocuous
As well as lambasting Shell, this often self-aggrandizing filing out in the low-tech Santa Monica Courthouse has innocuous cameos by the likes of Ari Emanuel and Jay Penske, among others.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026
But one seemingly innocuous dealbreaker that keeps popping up—and sparking strong reactions?
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 2 Mar. 2026
Even the most innocuous areas of our everyday lives have become political and divisive.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
These rules were enforced with various levels of stringency throughout the week, but several journalists complained of having to argue with security staff in order to bring in innocuous items such as laptops and cosmetics.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026
But one seemingly innocuous dealbreaker that keeps popping up—and sparking strong reactions?
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 2 Mar. 2026
Even the most innocuous areas of our everyday lives have become political and divisive.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
These rules were enforced with various levels of stringency throughout the week, but several journalists complained of having to argue with security staff in order to bring in innocuous items such as laptops and cosmetics.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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Those social media challenges seemed harmless to her parents.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
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The real concern is sweat, bacteria, and acne On its own, sweat is pretty harmless and odorless.—
Ciara Lucas,
SELF,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One Battle After Another’s Kubrickian overtones are largely confined to Lockjaw’s story line — quite appropriate, as Kubrick was fascinated by how attempts to preserve power structures allowed murder to creep into the seemingly benign cadences of ordinary life.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
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However, targeting retailers who do business with the federal government in benign roles such as providing office furniture goes too far.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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When a strange man lurks around the school asking supposedly innocent questions and the principal receives a severed human finger in the mail, the community is in an uproar.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
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His huddles at times resemble a family Sunday supper after the conversation turns to politics – everyone yelling, nobody listening, Izzo’s face reddening and a whiteboard left broken, the innocent victim of all the arguing (though they are rumored to be pre-cut to avoid splintering).—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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