as in harmless
not causing or being capable of causing injury or hurt
an inoffensive little joke at the opening of his speech
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Recent Examples of inoffensive
Probably This made very nice videos, constitutionally inoffensive, pleasant, maybe because those are qualities with mass appeal and endorsement potential.
—
Paul McAdory, Them., 9 Dec. 2025
The problem is that to be so universally inoffensive, an affiliative joke usually ends up being overworn and anodyne.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
The couple turns out to be blandly inoffensive, and after their brief encounter, the two women change their topic of conversation, moving on to dating and the narrator’s experience using dating apps.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Panahi’s work up to this point might have been considered inoffensive, even safe, which made his next film, 2000’s The Circle, a major shift.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
Paul McAdory, Them., 9 Dec. 2025
The problem is that to be so universally inoffensive, an affiliative joke usually ends up being overworn and anodyne.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
The couple turns out to be blandly inoffensive, and after their brief encounter, the two women change their topic of conversation, moving on to dating and the narrator’s experience using dating apps.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Panahi’s work up to this point might have been considered inoffensive, even safe, which made his next film, 2000’s The Circle, a major shift.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inoffensive
Adjective
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These were not harmless prompts.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The appellate court found that the prosecution failed to meet its burden to demonstrate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the constitutional error was harmless.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The disease begins with the formation of benign polyps in the body's large intestine, also known as the colon.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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The less benign theory is that China is attempting to test designs of new nuclear weapons.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Sirianni remains safe despite the outcry, yet two young Eagles stars don't even bother to pay attention to the noise.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Whether that will turn out to be a safer bet as investors are starting to get cold feet over AI as well?—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Chris Harrison sparked controversy Wednesday for a seemingly innocent request posted on social media.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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The modern Western culture around nudity really teaches you shame about something that is so human and natural and innocent.—
Nicola Dall'Asen,
Allure,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inoffensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inoffensive. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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