innocuous Hear it!

innocuous Definition

in·nocu·ous (i näk′yo̵̅o̅ əs)

adjective

  1. that does not injure or harm; harmless an innocuous insect
  2. not controversial, offensive, or stimulating; dull and uninspiring an innocuous speech

Etymology: L innocuus < in-, not + nocuus, harmful < nocere, to harm, injure: see necro-

innocuous Related Forms

in·noc′u·ously adverb in·noc′u·ous·ness noun

innocuous Synonyms

innocuous

modif.

harmless, inoffensive, bland, weak; see dull 4, harmless 2, kind.

innocuous Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

render: Chemical waste disposal comes within environmental protection legislation so appropriate steps must be taken to render waste innocuous before disposal.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: These visits may seem quite innocuous, or may involve a sense of adventure or excitement.
  • appear: So far, they have all appeared fully innocuous.
  • look: I disagree with with Nick here, the 1st foul looked innocuous, the second barely worth a booking.
  • sound: One tiny percent sounds so innocuous, whereas £ 8 billion is a colossal sum.
  • render: SpeedFerries will in addition have an absolute discretion to jettison, land, destroy or render innocuous any such goods as described above.
  • prove: It was likely that scrapie in cattle would prove similarly innocuous.

Modifying Another Word

  • seemingly: At any moment, a seemingly innocuous decision can explode in their faces.
  • apparently: Note the apparently innocuous use of " popular scientists " .
  • fairly: On the second match point against him, the demoralized American fired a forehand long from a fairly innocuous blocked service return from Murray.
  • relatively: Why did I react the way I did to a relatively innocuous creature?
  • perfectly: Offensive material may get through and some perfectly innocuous sites may be blocked.
  • pretty: Check out the following photo ( you can click it for a bigger version ): Seems pretty innocuous, doesn't it?

Modifies a noun

  • challenge: An innocuous challenge by Moses saw a penalty awarded which Andy Stephens could do nothing about.
  • enough: The title sounds innocuous enough, like a good post for someone looking for a cush way to spend a few months.
  • statement: This seemingly innocuous statement caused a couple of raised eyebrows.
  • title: Under this innocuous title, the United States was now fully in the business of covert political operations.
  • piece: As in the Trojan War they are named after, they are usually disguised as innocuous pieces of code.
  • question: A simple, innocuous, little question: " You do have a working phone line, don't you?