😇 Innocuous — High Frequency SAT Vocabulary
I think INNOCUOUS most nearly means: A) suspicious; B) obvious; C) harmless; D) peculiar. Answer inside. 👉️
nox or noc mean harmful or wicked, as in noxious gas. in means not, as in innocent and our word today, innocuous.
📚️ Definition of Innocuous
Innocuous (adjective): Not harmful, dangerous, or offensive; unlikely to provoke strong reactions or cause any damage. Example: an innocuous comment about the weather.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Innocuous
IPA: /ɪˈnɑː.kju.əs/ (See IPA key)
Respelling: ih-NAH-kyoo-us
📰 Examples of Innocuous
Here are some examples of the word innocuous:
The email looked innocuous, but it was actually a phishing attempt.
Although peanuts seem innocuous to most people, they can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions in some people.
There are no innocuous substances, only innocuous doses; everything can be poisonous in certain quantities.
Quiz answer: C, harmless.
🧠 Summary of Innocuous
Definition: Innocuous means not harmful, dangerous, or offensive—something unlikely to bother anyone or cause any damage.
Real-world connection: We encounter innocuous things constantly: small talk, background music, routine emails, and the like.
SAT relevance: Innocuous frequently appears in reading passages and vocabulary-in-context questions, often paired with contrast words like “yet,” “however,” or “but” to signal that something harmless-looking may actually be harmful.