Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Having no adverse effect; harmless.
  • adjective Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Harmless; producing no ill effect; incapable of harm or mischief.
  • Specifically In herpetology, not venomous.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Harmless; producing no ill effect.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Harmless; producing no ill effect.
  • adjective Inoffensive; unprovocative; not exceptional.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective not causing disapproval
  • adjective not injurious to physical or mental health
  • adjective lacking intent or capacity to injure

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin innocuus : in-, not; see in– + nocuus, harmful (from nocēre, to harm; see nek- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin innocuus ("harmless").

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Examples

Comments

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  • I was surprised that innocuous had survived from Latin but nocuous had not, when a friend suggested that it had, but was "noxious" instead. Interesting drift.

    October 28, 2007

  • 'Harmlos' TOP 5 BASIC

    S: Harmless, Inoffensive, Unprovocative

    A: Harmful, Damaging, Hurtful, Injurious

    ** Nocere -> lat.

    October 25, 2013

  • If you think breathing is innocuous then come to Delhi.

    November 15, 2018

  • *boom*

    November 15, 2018