innocuous

[ih-nok-yoo-uhs]

adjective

1. not harmful or injurious; harmless.

   an innocuous home remedy.

2. not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.

3. not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid.

   an innocuous novel.

innocuous

/ ˌɪnəˈkjuːɪtɪ, ɪˈnɒkjʊəs /

adjective

1. having little or no adverse or harmful effect; harmless

Other Word Forms

• innocuously adverb
• innocuousness noun
• innocuity noun
• uninnocuous adjective
• uninnocuously adverb
• uninnocuousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of innocuous¹

From the Latin word innocuus, dating back to 1590–1600. See in- ³, nocuous

Word History and Origins

Origin of innocuous¹

C16: from Latin innocuus harmless, from _in- ¹ + nocēre to harm

Example Sentences

A call to “address the root causes of infertility” sounds innocuous enough.

From Salon

The first discussion of the new school year is relatively innocuous though no less testing for being so.

From Los Angeles Times

In September 2023, seemingly innocuous clouds turned into a sudden electrical storm on the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

From Los Angeles Times

A seemingly innocuous fall while skiing in the Cairngorms turned into years of pain and shoulder surgeries.

From BBC

Active Clubs frame themselves as innocuous workout groups on digital platforms and decentralized networks to recruit, radicalize and prepare members for racist violence.

From Salon

Related Words

• banal 
• bland 
• inoffensive 
• insipid 
• painless