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
- harmlessly adverb
- harmlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of harmless
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.
That’s harmless if you’re a knitting hobbyist who might overestimate how many fellow citizens know the difference between a knit and a purl stitch.
The research shows that small chemical markers attached to DNA actively silence genes, rather than simply appearing as harmless byproducts in inactive regions of the genome.
From Science Daily
Some see the match as harmless entertainment that will attract a newer, younger audience in the age of social media.
From BBC
That animal outside your cave could be harmless — or a predator; the survival of the species depends on assuming the worst and taking precautions.
From MarketWatch
Recent findings suggest that the sugar alcohol sorbitol may not be as harmless as it is often assumed to be.
From Science Daily
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.
