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
Comedian Josh Pray has started using it in front of his kids, working it into his videos, desperate to reclaim a formerly innocuous number.
—
Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
For people with mechanical allodynia, the brain no longer recognizes light touch as being innocuous and instead interprets it as being painful.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
Stalking behavior can seem, on its face, innocuous, Pohl said — sending someone flowers, sending messages that are polite, or even showing up at a home unarmed and sitting outside.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
Whatever the state gathers—whether the innocuous, the personal, or the intensely political—could in turn be used for arrests, detentions, fines, disappearances, and much worse.
—Justin Sherman, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
For people with mechanical allodynia, the brain no longer recognizes light touch as being innocuous and instead interprets it as being painful.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
Stalking behavior can seem, on its face, innocuous, Pohl said — sending someone flowers, sending messages that are polite, or even showing up at a home unarmed and sitting outside.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
Whatever the state gathers—whether the innocuous, the personal, or the intensely political—could in turn be used for arrests, detentions, fines, disappearances, and much worse.
—Justin Sherman, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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So that seemingly innocent Machu Picchu stamp—one of the most popular souvenir stamps around—could be viewed not as a harmless keepsake but as an unauthorized alteration that might jeopardize your ability to travel.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
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This time, two small polyps were removed and found to be harmless.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Not everyone sees Saudi Arabia’s embrace of global fashion houses as benign cultural exchange.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Weiss says eight out of ten lumps are benign, or non-cancerous.—
Anisa Arsenault,
Health,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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De Silva, police noted, was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the quarrel and was not believed to have been the target.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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So that seemingly innocent Machu Picchu stamp—one of the most popular souvenir stamps around—could be viewed not as a harmless keepsake but as an unauthorized alteration that might jeopardize your ability to travel.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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