Link Centre Dictionary

harmless

harm·less

UK/ˈhɑːmləs/ US/ˈhɑɹmləs/ fairly common

adjective

1.

not causing or capable of causing harm

  • “harmless bacteria”
  • “rendered the bomb harmless”
Antonyms
Similar
2.
3.

not producing any toxic effects

Similar
4.

unlikely to harm or disturb anyone

  • “harmless old man”
Synonyms
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5.

not threatening to life or health; not malignant

  • “a benign tumor is usually harmless”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From Middle English harmles, from Old English *hearmlēas, from Proto-Germanic *harmalausaz (“without harm; harmless”), equivalent to harm + -less. Cognate with German harmlos (“harmless”), Danish harmløs (“harlmess”), Swedish harmlös (“harmless”).

Phrases

  • hold harmless
  • save harmless

Related words

Word family

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.