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
Yet even this has seemed to be relatively harmless on the larger scale.
—
Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 July 2024
These seemingly harmless fissures on the surface of a watermelon can indicate deeper problems that affect both taste and freshness.
—Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2024
Most of the timelines are relatively harmless, with outlandish sit-com plots unfolding between the group.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 30 June 2024
Many of them carry much more harmless cargo such as corn syrup.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for harmless 
Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 July 2024
These seemingly harmless fissures on the surface of a watermelon can indicate deeper problems that affect both taste and freshness.
—Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2024
Most of the timelines are relatively harmless, with outlandish sit-com plots unfolding between the group.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 30 June 2024
Many of them carry much more harmless cargo such as corn syrup.
—Alena Botros, Fortune, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for harmless
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harmless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near harmless
Cite this Entry
“Harmless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harmless. Accessed 15 Jul. 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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