harmless

[hahrm-lis]

See more synonyms for harmless on Thesaurus.com

adjective

without the power or desire to do harm; innocuous: He looks mean but he's harmless; a harmless Halloween prank.
without injury; unhurt; unharmed.

Idioms

hold harmless, Law. to relieve from responsibility or liability for any damage or loss.Also save harmless.

Origin of harmless

1250–1300; Middle English. See harm, -less

Related formsharm·less·ly, adverbharm·less·ness, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for harmless on Thesaurus.com

1. inoffensive, mild, innocent, unobjectionable, benign.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for harmless

Contemporary Examples

Knowing the fellow to be both poor and harmless, I quietly gave him one.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison
Daniel Genis
December 8, 2014
Of the over 100 strains, the majority are harmless and a healthy immune system will fight it without a person ever realizing it.
The Silent Shame of HPV
Emily Shire
August 29, 2014
A harmless woman is being harassed online by a nerdy subculture.
Fanboys, White Knights, and the Hairball of Online Misogyny
Tauriq Moosa
August 28, 2014
Are you not defeating the cause by demonstrating violence in your response to a nonviolent, harmless kid?
How Not to Reply to a Racist Tweet
Tauriq Moosa
August 11, 2014
How could you tell the real, dangerous zombies apart from the harmless fakers?
The Case Against Cards Against Humanity: Is Max Temkin a Horrible Person? (Does It Matter?)
Arthur Chu
July 29, 2014

Historical Examples

He's harmless, with his drawl and his round pink face that shines with admiration.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Thus our conversation ran--decorous and harmless enough, in all conscience.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
But the harmless chearfulness of their conversation did not last long.
Imogen
William Godwin
I am as harmless and as chearly as the little red-breast that pecks out of my hand?
Imogen
William Godwin
And especially the cruel to the poor, harmless dumb creatures.
A Complete Edition of the Works of Nancy Luce
Nancy Luce

British Dictionary definitions for harmless

harmless

adjective

not causing any physical or mental damage or injury
unlikely to annoy or worry peoplea harmless sort of man

Derived Formsharmlessly, adverbharmlessness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for harmless

adj.

c.1300, "uninjured," from harm (n.) + -less. Meaning "undamaged" is from late 14c. Related: Harmlessly; harmlessness.

harmless

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}harmless

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for harmless

Contemporary Examples

Knowing the fellow to be both poor and harmless, I quietly gave him one.

Of the over 100 strains, the majority are harmless and a healthy immune system will fight it without a person ever realizing it.

A harmless woman is being harassed online by a nerdy subculture.

Are you not defeating the cause by demonstrating violence in your response to a nonviolent, harmless kid?

How could you tell the real, dangerous zombies apart from the harmless fakers?

Historical Examples

He's harmless, with his drawl and his round pink face that shines with admiration.

Thus our conversation ran--decorous and harmless enough, in all conscience.

But the harmless chearfulness of their conversation did not last long.

I am as harmless and as chearly as the little red-breast that pecks out of my hand?

And especially the cruel to the poor, harmless dumb creatures.

harmless

Word Origin and History for harmless

adj.

Origin of harmless