innocuous

Etymology

From Latin innocuus (“harmless”).

adj

1. Harmless; producing no ill effect.
   The shells fell for the most part innocuous; an eyewitness saw children at play beside the flaming houses; not a soul was injured. 1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 9, in A Footnote to History
   The effects of any one instance of TV absorbing and pablumizing cultural tokens seems innocuous enough. 1997, David Foster Wallace, “E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction”, in A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company
   As the half closed [Gareth] Bale and [Joe] Ledley both went close with good efforts, but [Craig] Bellamy picked up a yellow card for an innocuous challenge that also rules the new Liverpool man out of the trip to Wembley. 2 September 2011, “Wales 2 — 1 Montenegro”, in BBC Sport
2. Inoffensive; unprovocative; unexceptionable.
   Ruth Devlin announced that the song must wait, though it appeared to be innocuous and child-like in its sentiments. 1893, Gilbert Parker, chapter 12, in Mrs. Falchion
   He sat down, and lighted a cigarette, casting about the while for an innocuous topic of conversation. 1910, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 29, in The Intrusion of Jimmy