- having little or no adverse or harmful effect; harmless
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
in•noc•u•ous /ɪˈnɑkyuəs/USA pronunciation
adj.
in•noc•u•ous•ness, n. [uncountable]See -noc-, -nox-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- not harmful;
harmless:innocuous home medicine. - not likely to irritate;
inoffensive:just an innocuous remark about the weather.
in•noc•u•ous•ness, n. [uncountable]See -noc-, -nox-.
in•noc•u•ous
(i nok′yo̅o̅ əs),USA pronunciation adj.
in•noc′u•ous•ly, adv.
in•noc′u•ous•ness, in•no•cu•i•ty
(in′ə kyo̅o̅′i tē),USA pronunciation n.
- not harmful or injurious; harmless:an innocuous home remedy.
- not likely to irritate or offend;
inoffensive;
an innocuous remark. - not interesting, stimulating, or significant;
pallid;
insipid:an innocuous novel.
- Latin innocuus. See in-3, nocuous
- 1590–1600
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
innocuous /ɪˈnɒkjʊəs/ adj