harmless
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harmless
- /ˈhɑːmləs/ UK
- /ˈhɑɹmləs/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English harmles, from Old English *hearmlēas, from Proto-Germanic *harmalausaz (“without harm; harmless”), equivalent to harm + -less.
Cognate with German harmlos (“harmless”), Danish harmløs (“harlmess”), Swedish harmlös (“harmless”).
adjective more harmless · most harmless
-
Incapable of causing harm or danger; safe.
Near-synonyms: benign, innocuous, innocent, undamaging, nonthreatening, unthreatening
Similar: unharmful, nonharmful, benign, innocuous, innocent, undamaging, nonthreatening, unthreatening · Opposite: harmful, deleterious, damaging, threatening
- Not intended to harm; inoffensive. His humor can be annoying but is harmless.
-
Unharmed.
Similar: unscathed
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: innocuous, innoxious, innocent, inoffensive, uncontroversial, unoffending, nonmalignant, nontoxic, insipid, safe, benign, benignant, atoxic, non-lethal, inconspicuous, woundless
Translations
Every language
adj incapable of causing harm or danger
| Español | inocuo, inofensivo, benigno |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 무해의 muhae'ui |
| 日本語 | 無害な mugai na |
| 中文 | 無害 /无害 wúhài |
| Português | inofensivo |
| Français | inoffensif |
| Deutsch | harmlos, unschädlich, ungefährlich |
| Română | nevătămător, inofensiv |
| Русский | безвре́дный bezvrédnyj, безоби́дный bezobídnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | vô hại |
Talk about this word "harmless." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/harmless. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. harmless. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/harmless "harmless." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/harmless.Cite this
@misc{harmless_2026,
title = {harmless},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/harmless},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
