harmless
adjective
Simple meaning
Not causing or capable of causing harm.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hahrmluhsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɑɹmləs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Not causing or capable of causing harm
“Despite its frightening appearance, this little garden snake is harmless.”
Incapable of causing harm or danger; safe.
Not intended to harm; inoffensive.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Not causing or capable of causing harm
Used this way, harmless is a common word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Despite its frightening appearance, this little garden snake is harmless.”
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use harmless
- “Don't worry, the little spider is completely harmless.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Causing or capable of causing harm.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: not causing or capable of causing harm
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.