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harmless Meaning & Definition

/ˈhɑːmləs/

What Does Harmless Mean?

Harmless is used as an adjective meaning Incapable of causing harm or danger; safe. It can also mean Not intended to harm; inoffensive.

Harmless in Brief

Part of speechadjective
Pronunciation//ˈhɑːmləs//
Syllables1
Synonymsinnocuous, insipid and benign
Antonymsharmful and noxious
Comparative / superlativemore harmless, most harmless

Harmless Definition (Adjective)

  1. Incapable of causing harm or danger; safe.

    This snake looks nearly the same as its poisonous cousin but is harmless.

  2. Not intended to harm; inoffensive.

    His humor can be annoying but is harmless.

  3. Unharmed.

Synonyms of Harmless

Harmless synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Harmless

Harmless in a Sentence

This snake looks nearly the same as its poisonous cousin but is harmless.

His humor can be annoying but is harmless.

Word Forms & Grammar

harmless (comparative more harmless, superlative most harmless)

Words That Rhyme With Harmless

Origin of Harmless

Origin 1: From Middle English harmles, from Old English *hearmlēas, from Proto-Germanic *harmalausaz (“without harm; harmless”), equivalent to harm +‎ -less.

Origin 2: Cognate with German harmlos (“harmless”), Danish harmløs (“harlmess”), Swedish harmlös (“harmless”).

Pronouncing Harmless

Harmless is pronounced //ˈhɑːmləs// and has 1 syllable.

Quick Answers About Harmless

What part of speech is harmless?

Harmless is an adjective.

What is another word for harmless?

Close synonyms of harmless are innocuous, insipid and benign. See the full list of harmless synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of harmless?

Antonyms of harmless include harmful and noxious.

What are the comparative and superlative forms of harmless?

The comparative form is more harmless and the superlative form is most harmless.

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