inoffensive
adjective
in·of·fen·sive
ˌin-ə-ˈfen(t)-siv 
1
: causing no harm or injury
2
a
: giving no provocation : peaceable
b
: not objectionable to the senses
inoffensively
adverb
inoffensiveness
noun
Examples of inoffensive in a Sentence
The priest was a mild-mannered inoffensive fellow.
an inoffensive little joke at the opening of his speech
Recent Examples on the Web
There would also be logistical questions to address, including who's responsible for supervising students if they are made to leave their classroom during certain lessons and how to select alternative material that is inoffensive to their parents.
—
Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Believing in any conspiracy theory, even one that seems as inoffensive or silly as the flat Earth theory, can set a person up to fall into larger conspiracy theories, Dashtgard says, like the idea that feminism is a global conspiracy meant to drag men down.
—Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025
The party scenes with leggy dancers, meant to be decadent, are inoffensive.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
But its efforts to remain anonymous and inoffensive have been undone by allegations of labor abuses, environmental criticisms and, despite moving its headquarters to Singapore, persistent concerns about its Chinese ownership.
—Timothy McLaughlin, Wired News, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
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Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Believing in any conspiracy theory, even one that seems as inoffensive or silly as the flat Earth theory, can set a person up to fall into larger conspiracy theories, Dashtgard says, like the idea that feminism is a global conspiracy meant to drag men down.
—Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025
The party scenes with leggy dancers, meant to be decadent, are inoffensive.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
But its efforts to remain anonymous and inoffensive have been undone by allegations of labor abuses, environmental criticisms and, despite moving its headquarters to Singapore, persistent concerns about its Chinese ownership.
—Timothy McLaughlin, Wired News, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for inoffensive
Cite this Entry
“Inoffensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inoffensive. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inoffensive
adjective
in·of·fen·sive
ˌin-ə-ˈfen(t)-siv
: not offensive or harmful
inoffensively
adverb
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