harmless
Americanadjective
-
without the power or desire to do harm; innocuous.
He looks mean but he's harmless; a harmless Halloween prank.
- Synonyms:
- benign, unobjectionable, innocent, mild, inoffensive
-
without injury; unhurt; unharmed.
idioms
adjective
-
not causing any physical or mental damage or injury
-
unlikely to annoy or worry people
a harmless sort of man
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of harmless
Explanation
Things that can't hurt you are harmless. It might be hard for you to believe her when your sister tells you that her enormous pet snake is completely harmless. If your friend is scared of dogs, you can reassure her by saying, "Sure, he's 150 pounds and has a loud bark, but Fido is harmless!" Things that are safe or benign don't cause harm, and are therefore harmless, like your dad's harmless teasing or a compostable paper plate that's harmless to the environment. The word harmless originally meant "uninjured," or "not harmed," and came to mean "undamaged" by the end of the 1300s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When it seems like harmless fun, my motto is to let people enjoy it.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Backyard bird feeding may seem like a harmless hobby.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
And Det Con Steve Pennington from Greater Manchester Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit stressed e-scooters were not harmless toys and could lead to horrific consequences when used by inexperienced riders.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The small, decorative tabletop fire pit that Anthony Trevino bought on Amazon five years ago looked harmless.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The woman looked harmless, but one time she caught Albert Bowie making faces behind her back during class.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
