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
Using the Thread Poets Society's TikTok account, Farnell shared a seemingly innocuous puzzle that left both her and Evie, her 7-year-old daughter, baffled during a family dinner.
—
Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
In what initially seemed to be a rather innocuous post on Instagram, Hill called for all his fans to meet him at the Aventura Mall, the location of his Soul Runner store.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Last week, Judge Carl J. Nichols, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, took the seemingly innocuous step of extending an order temporarily barring the U.S. Agency for International Development from involuntarily evacuating its employees from overseas assignments.
—Alan Feuer, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Under different circumstances, Irving's parting one-liner may have seemed innocuous.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
In what initially seemed to be a rather innocuous post on Instagram, Hill called for all his fans to meet him at the Aventura Mall, the location of his Soul Runner store.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Last week, Judge Carl J. Nichols, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, took the seemingly innocuous step of extending an order temporarily barring the U.S. Agency for International Development from involuntarily evacuating its employees from overseas assignments.
—Alan Feuer, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Under different circumstances, Irving's parting one-liner may have seemed innocuous.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innocuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innocuous
Adjective
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While castor beans themselves are harmless, ricin, when extracted correctly in a complex process, is lethal and has been the stuff of Cold War assassinations and the plot of a popular episode on the Breaking Bad television series.—
Michael Loria,
USA TODAY,
8 Mar. 2025
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While these videos are mostly filter-free and appear to be harmless fun, Hines explained how beauty filters have altered the way the brain recognizes and prefers certain facial features.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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According to Healthline, benign easy bruising, called actinic purpura or senile purpura is common.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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Yes, Republicans have been getting an earful from their districts, but those skirmishes are going to look perfectly benign compared to what a vindictive Trump could unleash for lawmakers who show too much pluck.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In a race against time, Melissa must figure out if an innocent man is going to die for a crime her father really committed.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2025
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Dangerously selfish, vain and proud, Wilde’s Salome is anything but innocent.—
E.R. Zarevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Innocuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innocuous. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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