Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Having no adverse effect; harmless.
- adjective Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Harmless; producing no ill effect; incapable of harm or mischief.
- Specifically In herpetology, not venomous.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Harmless; producing no ill effect.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Harmless ; producing noill effect. - adjective
Inoffensive ;unprovocative ; notexceptional .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective not causing disapproval
- adjective not injurious to physical or mental health
- adjective lacking intent or capacity to injure
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He noted what he called an innocuous collection of photos of junior boxing groups.
A Small Death in the Great Glen A. D. Scott 2010
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Explaining your challenge to something fairly innocuous is a courteous, adult thing to do.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Discourteous to Wear American Flag Images on Cinco de Mayo? 2010
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A speech by the president should be in innocuous exercise in civics and public discourse.
Obama speech to school children: 'You make your own future' 2009
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Explaining your challenge to something fairly innocuous is a courteous, adult thing to do.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Discourteous to Wear American Flag Images on Cinco de Mayo? 2010
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And the writers are usually pretty darned clever about having something innocuous from the early part of the episode prove crucial at the end, like Carter’s sister’s music.
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This is part of the Alaska program known as the innocuous sounding Permanent Fund Dividend and is the main reason why the oil companies know that Alaska residents will consistently favor oil company policies.
Richard Arthur: Sarah Palin's Taken $125,000 Cash from Oil Companies 2008
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Media vigilance arising from constant gate keeping has for sometime now remained futile in what media kith and kin in the learned world described as innocuous statement.
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While many are described as innocuous, several hundred pictures, 200 to 300 by one estimate document prisoner abuse, although sources say there are multiple images of the same event.
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B. STANTON: B.t one of the things when Christina and I talked, we said, well, let's meet at a place that is, you know, innocuous, that is, you know, it's a place that's -- either of us could leave if we decided we didn't like the person, or we couldn't trust them or that kind of thing.
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There was a supply of innocuous story-books for the perusal of Mrs. Marston's pupils on Saturday half-holidays, innocuous, that is to say, but for the fact that they gave a completely erroneous view of life, and from them Henrietta discovered that heroines after the sixteenth birthday are likely to be pestered with adorers.
veevi commented on the word innocuous
I was surprised that innocuous had survived from Latin but nocuous had not, when a friend suggested that it had, but was "noxious" instead. Interesting drift.
October 28, 2007
Azr commented on the word innocuous
'Harmlos' TOP 5 BASIC
S: Harmless, Inoffensive, Unprovocative
A: Harmful, Damaging, Hurtful, Injurious
** Nocere -> lat.
October 25, 2013
ranjanj4 commented on the word innocuous
If you think breathing is innocuous then come to Delhi.
November 15, 2018
bilby commented on the word innocuous
*boom*
November 15, 2018