innocuous

[ ih-nok-yoo-uhs ]

adjective

1. not harmful or injurious; harmless:

   an innocuous home remedy.

2. not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.
3. not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid:

   an innocuous novel.

innocuous

/ ˌɪnəˈkjuːɪtɪ; ɪˈnɒkjʊəs /

adjective

1. having little or no adverse or harmful effect; harmless

Derived Forms

• inˈnocuously, adverb
• inˈnocuousness, noun

Other Words From

• in·nocu·ous·ly adverb
• in·nocu·ous·ness in·no·cu·i·ty [in-, uh, -, kyoo, -i-tee], noun
• unin·nocu·ous adjective
• unin·nocu·ous·ly adverb
• unin·nocu·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of innocuous¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of innocuous¹

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

Example Sentences

"Even something as innocuous as recreation can add to these other stressors we're bringing into their lives, potentially by altering the amount of energy they have to expend for hunting and other needs," Bolas said.

From Science Daily

He sneaked in “I’m not a good person” so innocuously that the old me would have overlooked it.

From Los Angeles Times

The term may make the mistakes seem almost innocuous, but in some applications, even a minuscule error rate can have severe ramifications.

From Los Angeles Times

Not all red tide algae blooms are bioluminescent, nor are they all innocuous, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Other major fires have had more innocuous origins.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• banal
• bland
• inoffensive
• insipid
• painless