Words / B1

HAHML-uh-s/ˈhɑːmləs/

Harmless means not causing damage: a harmless joke; harmless bacteria. Harmful is the opposite. Safe is wider (including security). Do not call a banned substance harmless without evidence. In complaints, “it was only harmless banter” is often disputed — be careful in essays on bullying.

Meaning

Not causing damage or injury.

Examples

• “The joke was meant to be harmless, but staff found it unkind.”
• “Most garden snakes in the UK are harmless, which is the biological sense.”

Good to know

a harmless + noun; harmless to. Opposite: harmful. Wider: safe. Workplace: “harmless banter” is contested. Biology: harmless species.

Near in meaning

safe

New