innocuous

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An innocuous thing or action is harmless and won't cause any trouble. It's something that doesn't have any negative effect.

You might hear someone say "This new policy seems innocuous" to mean it looks like a good idea, not likely to do any harm. They're checking if it could be problematic before they get on board with it. This is because in English, the word innocuous usually has a positive connotation. We use it when we think something is safe and won't cause problems.

How common is "innocuous"?

Word innocuous is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions

adjective

  • Harmless; producing no ill effect.

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Real examples of "innocuous" in context

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