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innocuous

[ ih-nok-yoo-uhs ]
/ ɪˈnɒk yu əs /
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See synonyms for: innocuous / innocuously / innocuousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous home remedy.
not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.
not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous novel.
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Origin of innocuous

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

OTHER WORDS FROM innocuous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use innocuous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for innocuous

innocuous
/ (ɪˈnɒkjʊəs) /

adjective
having little or no adverse or harmful effect; harmless

Derived forms of innocuous

innocuously, adverbinnocuousness or innocuity (ˌɪnəˈkjuːɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for innocuous

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