innocuous

CEFRC2

/ɪˈnɒkjuəs/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Not harmful, dangerous, or offensive.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Inoffensive; unprovocative; unexceptionable.

Examples

  • Her innocuous statement was actually a veiled insult.

  • You may think your comment was innocuous, but I found it very offensive.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Harmless; producing no ill effect.

More examples

In context

  • The shells fell for the most part innocuous; an eyewitness saw children at play beside the flaming houses; not a soul was injured.

  • With its green cupola or tapering spire, / Which sunset touches with innocuous fire, / The little church appears, to sanctify / The precincts duly where men live and die— [...]

  • Ruth Devlin announced that the song must wait, though it appeared to be innocuous and child-like in its sentiments.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The substance spilled on the floor was blank, so no one was injured.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Latin innocuus (“harmless”) (therefore, no gemination in + nocuous).