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
The report itself that came out from his physician was mostly fairly innocuous.
—
NBC news, 31 May 2026
And many other beneficial and innocuous microbes will adapt too, with unknown, and far-reaching, effects.
—Shayla Love, New Yorker, 28 May 2026
This leads us to believe that seemingly innocuous, practical policy changes may exert greater influence on women’s reproductive choices than even public outrage over an injustice.
—Kimberly Turner, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
But the Harry comments were pretty innocuous in comparison to the Andrew jokes.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
NBC news, 31 May 2026
And many other beneficial and innocuous microbes will adapt too, with unknown, and far-reaching, effects.
—Shayla Love, New Yorker, 28 May 2026
This leads us to believe that seemingly innocuous, practical policy changes may exert greater influence on women’s reproductive choices than even public outrage over an injustice.
—Kimberly Turner, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
But the Harry comments were pretty innocuous in comparison to the Andrew jokes.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
-
Not the harmless kind that arrives during a slow afternoon.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The test itself is harmless, but acting on the results can cause harm.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Many spreading this story are doing so with little or no evidence of wrongdoing and are instead relying on information that is false or can be explained by more benign reasons.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
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That something so benign could wreak so much havoc against the backdrop of a place as humdrum as a corner restaurant is what makes the story (written by TZ mainstay Richard Matheson) so terrifying.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Authorities say a suspect who was eight months pregnant crashed her car into a Sturbridge, Massachusetts hotel early Thursday morning and then started shooting, critically injuring an innocent bystander at the hotel before turning the gun on herself.—
Aaron Parseghian,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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The deaths of innocent Americans, and misleading the public on the rationale for their deaths, played a role in her departure.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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