Meanings
comparative more inoffensive · superlative most inoffensive
- not offensive
an inoffensive joke
2 more examples
[S]he was one of your ſoft ſpoken, canting, whining hypocrites, who with a truly jeſuitical art, could wreſt evil out of the moſt inoffenſive thought, word, look or action; […]
1765, Catherine Jemmat, The Memoirs of Mrs. Catherine Jemmat, Daughter of the Late Admiral Yeo, of Plymouth. Written by Herself, 2nd edition, volume I, London: Printed for the author, at Charing-Cross, →OCLC, page 145On January 7, 1964, a group of American students at Balboa High School in the Panama Canal Zone set into motion events that soon threatened our relations with Panama and endangered operation of the Panama Canal. It was, on the surface, an inoffensive act: The students raised the American flag in front of the school.
1971, Lyndon Johnson, The Vantage Point, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 180 - harmless
an inoffensive plant
Synonyms & antonyms
all senses
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Italic*n̥-
- Latinin-
- Middle Englishin-
- Englishin-
- Englishoffensive
- Englishinoffensive
Translations
Catalan inofensiu, inofensiu
- inofensiunot offensive — see also innocuous
- inofensiuharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Chinese Mandarin 觸犯人的 /触犯人的, 無害的 /无害的
- 觸犯人的 /触犯人的 (bù chùfàn rén de)not offensive — see also innocuous
- 無害的 /无害的 (wúhài de)harmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Finnish viaton, hyvää tarkoittava
- viatonnot offensive — see also innocuous
- hyvää tarkoittavanot offensive — see also innocuous
- harmitonharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
French inoffensif
- inoffensifharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Irish neamhurchóideach
- neamhurchóideachharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Italian inoffensivo, inoffensivo
- inoffensivonot offensive — see also innocuous
- inoffensivoharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Japanese 無難な, 当たり障りのない
- 無難な (bunan na)not offensive — see also innocuous
- 当たり障りのない (atarisawari no nai)not offensive — see also innocuous
- 無難な (bunan na)harmless — see also harmless, innocuous
- 当たり障りのない (atarisawari no nai)harmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Māori māhaki
- māhakinot offensive — see also innocuous
Norwegian Bokmål harmløs
- harmløsharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Portuguese inofensivo, inofensivo
- inofensivonot offensive — see also innocuous
- inofensivoharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Russian безоби́дный, необи́дный
- безоби́дный (bezobídnyj)not offensive — see also innocuous
- необи́дный (neobídnyj)not offensive — see also innocuous
- безвре́дный (bezvrédnyj)harmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Spanish inofensivo, inofensivo
- inofensivonot offensive — see also innocuous
- inofensivoharmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Ukrainian необра́зливий, нешкідли́вий
- необра́зливий (neobrázlyvyj)not offensive — see also innocuous
- нешкідли́вий (neškidlývyj)harmless — see also harmless, innocuous
Cite this entry
inoffensive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inoffensive
“inoffensive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inoffensive. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inoffensive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inoffensive.
Source: inoffensive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.