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
After receiving an innocuous text about a gap in her teeth, a woman’s life spirals out of control.
—
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Entertainment reporters behind velvet ropes would ask frisky if innocuous questions of the movie’s stars, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
His ostensibly innocuous shot from well above the left circle clipped Dostál and then slipped through him to open the scoring.
—Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2025
After a walk through the woods, what seems like an innocuous tick bite has grotesquely unexpected consequences in this creepy little shocker from fest alum Pete Ohs (Jethica, Overlook ‘22).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Addie Morfoot, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
Entertainment reporters behind velvet ropes would ask frisky if innocuous questions of the movie’s stars, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot.
—Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
His ostensibly innocuous shot from well above the left circle clipped Dostál and then slipped through him to open the scoring.
—Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 10 Mar. 2025
After a walk through the woods, what seems like an innocuous tick bite has grotesquely unexpected consequences in this creepy little shocker from fest alum Pete Ohs (Jethica, Overlook ‘22).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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False positives: Finding harmless abnormalities can lead to false-positive results (a test result that incorrectly determines a condition is present), unnecessary stress, tests, and procedures.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
10 Apr. 2025
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On the surface, YouTubers’ content looks harmless—a teen girl in her bedroom making squishies or kids unboxing their latest hauls from popular stores, sharing unfiltered opinions.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The hole dubbed Magnolia in the club’s lexicon fits that description, especially after officials stretched the once-benign par-4 by 40 yards to 495 — and still a par-4.—
Bob Spear,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Apr. 2025
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The report also revealed that the president underwent a colonoscopy last July, when he was diagnosed with diverticulitis and a benign polyp, and had cataract surgery at some undetailed point in the past.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That innocent people are disappearing into El Salvador’s prisons is no secret—making the embrace of Bukele a disturbing signal of just how far a strongman can go without losing political ground.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2025
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His innocent questions were always softened by stoner jokes.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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