Meanings
comparative more harmless · superlative most harmless
- Incapable of causing harm or danger; safe.
This snake looks nearly the same as its poisonous cousin but is harmless.
1 more example
Near-synonyms: benign, innocuous, innocent, undamaging, nonthreatening, unthreatening
Synonyms: unharmful, nonharmful, benign, innocuous, innocent, undamaging, nonthreatening, unthreatening · Antonyms: harmful, deleterious, damaging, threatening
- Not intended to harm; inoffensive.
His humor can be annoying but is harmless.
1 more example
The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite.[…]Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveIncapable of causing harm or danger; safe.
adjectiveUnharmed.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*harmalausaz“without harm; harmless”
- Old English*hearmlēas
- Middle Englishharmles
- Englishharmless
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀβλαβής
- ἀβλαβής (ablabḗs)incapable of causing harm or danger
Bulgarian безвре́ден, безоби́ден
- безвре́ден (bezvréden)incapable of causing harm or danger
- безоби́ден (bezobíden)incapable of causing harm or danger
Catalan inofensiu
- inofensiuincapable of causing harm or danger
Chinese Mandarin 無害 /无害
- 無害 /无害 (wúhài)incapable of causing harm or danger
Czech neškodný
- neškodnýincapable of causing harm or danger
Dutch ongevaarlijk, onschadelijk
- ongevaarlijkincapable of causing harm or danger
- onschadelijkincapable of causing harm or danger
Esperanto sendanĝera
- sendanĝeraincapable of causing harm or danger
Finnish harmiton
- harmitonincapable of causing harm or danger
French inoffensif
- inoffensifincapable of causing harm or danger
German harmlos, unschädlich
- harmlosincapable of causing harm or danger
- unschädlichincapable of causing harm or danger
- ungefährlichincapable of causing harm or danger
Hungarian ártalmatlan
- ártalmatlanincapable of causing harm or danger
Icelandic meinlaus
- meinlausincapable of causing harm or danger
Irish neamhdhíobhálach, neamhurchóideach
- neamhdhíobhálachincapable of causing harm or danger
- neamhurchóideachincapable of causing harm or danger
Japanese 無害な
- 無害な (mugai na)incapable of causing harm or danger
Korean 무해의
- 무해의 (muhae'ui)incapable of causing harm or danger
Latin innocuus
- innocuusincapable of causing harm or danger
Māori māhaki
- māhakiincapable of causing harm or danger
Norwegian Bokmål harmløs
- harmløsincapable of causing harm or danger
Polish nieszkodliwy
- nieszkodliwyincapable of causing harm or danger
Portuguese inofensivo
- inofensivoincapable of causing harm or danger
Romanian nevătămător, inofensiv
- nevătămătorincapable of causing harm or danger
- inofensivincapable of causing harm or danger
Russian безвре́дный, безоби́дный
- безвре́дный (bezvrédnyj)incapable of causing harm or danger
- безоби́дный (bezobídnyj)incapable of causing harm or danger
Slovak neškodný
- neškodnýincapable of causing harm or danger
Spanish inocuo, inofensivo
- inocuoincapable of causing harm or danger
- inofensivoincapable of causing harm or danger
- benignoincapable of causing harm or danger
Swedish ofarlig, harmlös
- ofarligincapable of causing harm or danger
- harmlösincapable of causing harm or danger
Turkish zararsız
- zararsızincapable of causing harm or danger
Ukrainian нешкідли́вий
- нешкідли́вий (neškidlývyj)incapable of causing harm or danger
Vietnamese vô hại
- vô hạiincapable of causing harm or danger
Welsh diniwed
- diniwedincapable of causing harm or danger
Cite this entry
harmless. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harmless
“harmless.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harmless. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “harmless,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harmless.
Source: harmless on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.