harmless

[hahrm-lis]

adjective

1. 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

2. without injury; unhurt; unharmed.

harmless

/ ˈhɑːmlɪs /

adjective

1. not causing any physical or mental damage or injury

2. unlikely to annoy or worry people

   a harmless sort of man

Other Word Forms

• harmlessness noun
• harmlessly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of harmless¹

1250–1300; Middle English; harm, -less

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

Example Sentences

Gil said the vessel, which he described as "small, harmless" fishing boat, was seized "illegally and hostilely" for eight hours.

From BBC

Local residents, who call the animals “gentle” and “harmless,” have expressed outrage online over the attacks.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a declaration of war, on an American city, by a sitting president, under the guise of a harmless meme.

From Los Angeles Times

If the intent was merely to get off to a smooth, harmless start and break in the new guys, well … then USC certainly succeeded in that regard.

From Los Angeles Times

What appears to be a harmless workout group may be a gateway to violent extremism, one pushup at a time.

From Salon

Related Words

• gentle 
• innocent 
• innocuous 
• inoffensive 
• naive 
• nontoxic 
• painless 
• powerless 
• simple