1
: free from harm, liability, or loss
2
: lacking capacity or intent to injure : innocuous
a harmless joke
harmlessly
adverb
harmlessness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of harmless in a Sentence
His ideas seem harmless enough.
We're just having a bit of harmless fun.
It was just a harmless joke.
Recent Examples on the Web
This malware hides in seemingly harmless applications, such as a game called Minesweeper and a note-taking app referred to as a Notepad.
—
Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Nov. 2024
Even something as seemingly harmless as the hum of appliances or the drone of traffic can have unintended consequences.
—Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Learn more › Extended time in space is not exactly harmless to the human body.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Nov. 2024
The issues people value and consider in voting are very personal to them, so what one employee might consider a harmless remark can be received as a personal affront by another.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harmless 
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Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Nov. 2024
Even something as seemingly harmless as the hum of appliances or the drone of traffic can have unintended consequences.
—Bill Schiffmiller, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024
Learn more › Extended time in space is not exactly harmless to the human body.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Nov. 2024
The issues people value and consider in voting are very personal to them, so what one employee might consider a harmless remark can be received as a personal affront by another.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harmless
Dictionary Entries Near harmless
Cite this Entry
“Harmless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harmless. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
harmless
adjective
harm·less
ˈhärm-ləs 
1
: free from harm
2
: unable to harm
harmlessly
adverb
harmlessness
noun
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