harmless

/ˈhɑːmləs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːrmləs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhärm-ləs/ (ame, mw)

harmless — adjective

  • harmlesspositive
  • more harmlesscomparative
  • most harmlesssuperlative

1. not harmful or dangerous; unlikely to hurt anyone, damage anything, or upset peo

1.形容詞B1
釋義

not harmful or dangerous; unlikely to hurt anyone, damage anything, or upset people

例句

Most people find the dog scary, but he is harmless and just wants to play.

The snake that Omar found in the garden is a harmless type that eats insects.

harmless [type / species / kind] — describing animals

同義詞
  • safe

    broader meaning — can refer to being protected from danger, not just not causing it ('a safe neighbourhood')

  • innocuous

    more formal; typically describes remarks, habits, or substances that seem unimportant or unlikely to offend ('an innocuous comment')

  • non-toxic

    restricted to substances that are not poisonous ('non-toxic glue')

  • benign

    formal; used especially in medical contexts ('a benign tumour') or to describe a gentle person or thing

反義詞
  • harmful

    direct opposite — causing or likely to cause harm

  • dangerous

    broader opposite — likely to cause injury or risk

  • toxic

    restricted to poisonous or chemically harmful substances

文法句型

a harmless [noun]

be harmless to [noun]

keep + [noun] + harmless

用法筆記

Commonly used to reassure someone that a person, animal, object, or remark is not a threat. Often followed by 'to' to specify who or what is not at risk (e.g. harmless to humans, harmless to the environment).

常見錯誤

❌This snake is unharmed.' (when meaning it won't hurt you).
✅This snake is harmless.
💡'unharmed' means not injured oneself; 'harmless' means not causing injury to others.
❌This chemical is harmless for pets.
✅This chemical is harmless to pets.
💡the correct preposition after 'harmless' is 'to', not 'for'.