Meaning & use
innocuous
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Unlikely to cause harm, damage or offence, because it is mild or ordinary in effect.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: an innocuous remark, the chemical is innocuous.
Patterns
- innocuous to someone
- seem innocuous
The doctor said the mole was innocuous and needed no treatment.
She made an innocuous comment about the weather.
The additive is innocuous in small amounts.
adjectivecomparable
Seeming ordinary or unimportant on the surface, though it may hide something more serious or sinister.
Grammar: Often used with seemingly or apparently to hint at a hidden problem.
Patterns
- a seemingly innocuous something
A seemingly innocuous email turned out to contain a virus.
He asked an innocuous question that exposed the whole plan.
The innocuous-looking van hid a surveillance team.
Word forms
| comparative | more innocuous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most innocuous |
Common combinations
- seemingly innocuous
- A seemingly innocuous change to the rules caused chaos.
- innocuous remark
- His innocuous remark about the food upset the cook.
- relatively innocuous
- The side effects were relatively innocuous.
- perfectly innocuous
- The message looked perfectly innocuous to the guards.
- innocuous enough
- The question sounded innocuous enough at the time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- harmless
- It is the plain everyday word, while innocuous adds a sense of being unremarkable or easy to dismiss.
- inoffensive
- It focuses on not upsetting people, whereas innocuous can also mean physically safe.
- benign
- It is common for tumours and kindly people, and suggests gentleness more than blandness.
- bland
- It describes dullness or lack of flavour and sometimes sounds critical, which innocuous does not.
Opposites
Word family
- innocuously adverb
- in a way that seems harmless
- innocuousness noun
- the quality of being harmless
- innocent adjective
- not guilty, or without harmful intent
Commonly confused: innocuous or innocent?
innocuous vs innocent
Innocent usually describes a person who is not guilty or is naive, while innocuous describes things such as remarks or substances that do not cause harm.
Practice
The note looked ______ at first, but it contained a hidden warning. Which word fits best?
Choose one answer.
Innocuous describes something that seems harmless on the surface. Innocent normally describes a person or their guilt, so it is the tempting wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “innocuous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.