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
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
Talk over your concerns with your boss in a nonthreatening and professional way.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonthreatening
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
Talk over your concerns with your boss in a nonthreatening and professional way.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonthreatening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonthreatening
Adjective
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The final mix includes botanicals, minerals, and vitamins such as holy basil for stress response, curcumin to promote a healthy immune response, konjac root to address oil production, and probiotics to optimize the microbiome.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The Wizards have emphasized growth and long-term planning under a new front office regime, but keeping key players healthy has been a challenge.—
Grant Afseth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Beet juice may cause pink urine or red stool, which is harmless.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
12 Sep. 2025
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For every community of mass-shooter fandoms, there is another that is silly, joyous, productive, or totally harmless.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While some Hamas apologists have portrayed the word as benign, its real meaning is undeniably violent — and not just for Israelis.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Given the slight shift toward caution that took hold among investors during its benign August-September consolidation, broad positioning seems well short of aggressive extremes.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Maybe that’s the lesson the university is actually communicating to its students, beneath whatever charmingly nasal encouragement Kermit doles out on graduation day: to err on the unobjectionable side when things look dicey.—
Callie Holtermann,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Many orders can be unobjectionable, such as giving federal employees the day after Christmas off.—
Josh Boak,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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All of the accessories feel well-built and feature inoffensive, bordering on bland, designs.—
Iyaz Akhtar,
PC Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
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That approach amps up the comedy, especially the prevailing idea that the largely inoffensive Chad could be any kind of real threat to the staid little onstage community.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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In a sweet video that sees the two Emmy nominees finally meet, Cooper is shooting a seemingly innocuous promo clip, with no idea that the Presumed Innocent star is on his way into the studio.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps the evildoer asks for something seemingly innocuous but is part of a subtle step in a larger evil plan.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For every person whispering white, there were 10 more standing at the ready who wanted to make the transition as painless as possible for those arriving from the Crescent City.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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The potential of crypto – to empower more people in the financial system and make cross border payments painless and cheap, can only come to fruition if regulators and large global financial institutions create the pathways to do that.—
Nish Acharya,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Financial reports, client data, or confidential business information can be uploaded in ways that sidestep official security and AI policies, often neutralizing safeguards intended to keep information safe.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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New technology can solve crimes faster, safer, and less expensively than ever before.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonthreatening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonthreatening. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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