harmless

adjective

harm·​less ˈhärm-ləs How to pronounce harmless (audio)
1
: free from harm, liability, or loss
2
: lacking capacity or intent to injure : innocuous
a harmless joke
harmlessly adverb
harmlessness noun

Examples of harmless in a Sentence

His ideas seem harmless enough. We're just having a bit of harmless fun. It was just a harmless joke.
Recent Examples on the Web Some armpit lumps may be harmless—resulting from actions like shaving or using antiperspirants—while others can be a potential sign of breast cancer or infections. Dr. Roshini Raj, Health, 3 Mar. 2024 According to the Mayo Clinic, Gilbert syndrome is a common, harmless liver condition in which the liver doesn’t properly process bilirubin, a yellow-orange substance produced by the breakdown of red blood cells and passed through bile. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Prompts to wash or sanitize your hands are generally harmless. Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024 The powder was quickly determined to be harmless in preliminary testing. Graham Kates, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 The leader may justify it as practical and harmless – their goal, to feel justified in moving ahead with their pet plan, was accomplished. Nate Bennett, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Though men paying for women might sound harmless, Dr. Leaper said, the gesture is a form of sexism by which traditional gender norms are reinforced. Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024 Keep kids and pets away, official says Most algae blooms are harmless, a Mecklenburg County official told The Charlotte Observer during an outbreak of the algae in two Lake Wylie coves in 2022. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 27 Jan. 2024 Venezuela’s facade of normalcy at first seemed harmless enough to me; superficial improvements are still improvements, even if old problems linger. Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harmless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of harmless was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near harmless

Cite this Entry

“Harmless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harmless. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

harmless

adjective
harm·​less ˈhärm-ləs How to pronounce harmless (audio)
1
: free from harm
2
: unable to harm
harmlessly adverb
harmlessness noun

Legal Definition

harmless

adjective
harm·​less
1
: free from harm, liability, or loss
often used in the phrase to hold harmless
see also hold harmless
2
: lacking capacity or intent to injure
harmlessly adverb
harmlessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on harmless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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