Innocuous
What it means
Unlikely to cause injury, offense, or serious trouble.
Reach for it when offering measured reassurance about something that appears concerning
Testing showed that the bitter smell came from an innocuous plant compound.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal |
|
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when plain reassurance about absence of danger is needed
Careful Harmless is more direct and less suited to subtle social offense.
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everyday
Fits when acceptable risk has been established for use
Careful Safe is a stronger operational assurance than innocuous.
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warm
Fits when low intensity makes harm unlikely
Careful Mild can still be irritating or damaging over time.
-
professional
Fits when a medical finding or influence is nonthreatening
Careful Benign is clinical and can imply positive gentleness rather than mere harmlessness.
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formal
Fits when the concern is specifically about causing offense
Careful Inoffensive does not rule out physical or practical harm.
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literary
anodyne
Fits when a statement is deliberately soothing and uncontroversial
Careful Anodyne can imply blandness and should not describe a physical substance casually.
Opposites 3
- harmful
- offensive
- dangerous
Common phrases 3
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seem innocuous
The request may seem innocuous, but the privacy team will still review it.
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apparently innocuous
An apparently innocuous crack revealed where rain entered the wall.
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innocuous substance
The powder was identified as an innocuous substance used in plaster.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: EncycloPetey, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated