unharmful

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈhɑrmfəl/ UK /ʌnˈhɑːmfʊl/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
causing no harm; harmless

The additive was tested and found entirely unharmful.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · causing no harm; harmless harmless innocuous benign safe innocent

Opposites

harmful damaging injurious dangerous noxious

Word family

Derived forms unharmfully

Related forms harm harmful harmless

Etymology

From un- ('not') + harmful, from harm (Old English hearm 'hurt, injury, evil') + -ful.

un- Old English hearm Old English *harmaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# unharmful

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ʌnˈhɑrmfəl
**IPA (UK):** ʌnˈhɑːmfʊl

## Meanings
1. causing no harm; harmless

## Examples
- The additive was tested and found entirely unharmful.

## Synonyms
- harmless
- innocuous
- benign
- safe
- innocent

## Antonyms
- harmful
- damaging
- injurious
- dangerous
- noxious

## Derived Forms
- unharmfully

## Related Forms
- harm
- harmful
- harmless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: hearm
- Root: *harmaz

## Etymology
From un- ('not') + harmful, from harm (Old English hearm 'hurt, injury, evil') + -ful.

## AI Etymology
Unharmful is from un- ('not') + harmful, from harm (Old English hearm 'hurt, injury, evil') + -ful. Important recorded forms include un- (Old English), hearm (Old English), and *harmaz (Proto-Germanic). Morphologically, the un- element marks negation, reversal, removal, or deprivation, while the base supplies the action, quality, or state being denied or undone. The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers causing no harm; harmless. The wider family includes derived forms such as unharmfully and related words such as harm, harmful, and harmless.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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unharmful

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