Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

harmlessness

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.40 in modern English

Syllables: harm-less-ness
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The characteristic of being harmless.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Already, at this very early date, the ritualists were moving towards the ideal of ahimsa ("harmlessness") that would become the indispensable virtue of the Indian Axial Age."

Etymology

Etymology tree English harmless Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English harmlessness From harmless + -ness.

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

harmlessnesses (plural)

Synonyms

innocence innocuity

Antonyms

harmfulness nocence

Questions

What does harmlessness mean?: The characteristic of being harmless.
Where does harmlessness come from?: Etymology tree English harmless Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English harmlessness From harmless + -ness.

How to pronounce harmlessness

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “harmlessness”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “harmlessness”.
Repeat and practice — Say “harmlessness” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.