harmlessly

Everyday

Harmlessly means without causing any hurt or damage. tree →

In the lessons

In science and safety lessons some things pass harmlessly: most small meteors burn up harmlessly in the air; most spiders in the UK are harmless. In stories a ball might bounce harmlessly off a wall, or a joke is meant harmlessly. Phrases: «pass harmlessly», «bounce harmlessly», «land harmlessly».

Examples

• The ball bounced harmlessly off the window. tree →
• Most meteors burn up harmlessly in the sky. tree →
• The bee flew harmlessly past my face. tree →
• The joke was meant harmlessly, but it hurt her feelings. tree →
• The firework fizzled out harmlessly. tree →
• The storm passed harmlessly out to sea. tree →
• Rain ran harmlessly off the tent. tree →
• The snake slid harmlessly into the grass. tree →
• This time the arrow again hit the centipede right in the middle of its head, but instead of glancing off harmlessly as before, it struck home to the creature’s brain. tree →

Note

Built from harm + less (without) + ly: harm → harmless (adjective) → harmlessly (adverb). Opposite: harmfully. Trap: something done «harmlessly» on purpose can still upset people — what feels harmless to you may not be to others.