innocuous
adj.adj. not harmful or offensive. You use this to describe something that seems safe or unimportant, even if it might look suspicious at first.
adj. not harmful or offensive in effect or intent. Often describes remarks, substances, or organisms that appear threatening but are actually benign.
The spider looked scary, but it was actually innocuous.
What began as an innocuous comment about the weather quickly turned into a heated political debate.
Although the virus appeared innocuous in early laboratory trials, researchers remained cautious about its potential to mutate once introduced to a wider population.
From Latin innocuus (“harmless”) (therefore, no gemination in + nocuous).
Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun or predicatively after linking verbs like 'seem' or 'appear'.