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innocuousness - 2 dictionary results

in⋅noc⋅u⋅ous

   [i-nok-yoo-uhs]
–adjective
1. not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous home remedy.
2. not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.
3. not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous novel.
Origin:
1590–1600; < L innocuus. See in- 3 , nocuous
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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in·noc·u·ous     (ĭ-nŏk'yōō-əs)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Having no adverse effect; harmless.
  2. Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid.


[From Latin innocuus : in-, not; see in-1 + nocuus, harmful (from nocēre, to harm; see nek-1 in Indo-European roots).]

in·noc'u·ous·ly adv., in·noc'u·ous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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