anodyne
adjective
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Definition of anodyne
(Entry 1 of 2)
anodyne
nounDefinition of anodyne (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for anodyne
Synonyms: Adjective
benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe, white
Synonyms: Noun
analgesic, anesthetic, painkiller
Antonyms: Adjective
adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, mischievous, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked
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Examples of anodyne in a Sentence
Adjective
the otherwise anodyne comments sounded quite inflammatory when taken out of contextNoun
the dentist prescribed an anodyne after the root canal as an anodyne for the stress and superficiality of the modern world, there's nothing better than reading a literary classic of substance and insight
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Behind that anodyne mission statement lies a grand ambition. — Los Angeles Times, "Fedâs Powell risks inflation to push economic benefits for those at the bottom," 30 July 2019 For the most part, its contentsâlists of instructions and precautions, a diagram of the drugâs molecular structureâmake for anodyne reading. — Jonathan Zittrain, The New Yorker, "The Hidden Costs of Automated Thinking," 23 July 2019 And so, this statement, that seems very anodyne and something that nobody could be against, actually wound up being used to devalue what the Black Lives Matter movement was telling us. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "A fatal police shooting has upended Mayor Pete Buttigieg's campaign. Here's what you need to know.," 24 June 2019 My disputantâs particular problem wasnât with Carpenterâs voice but with its anodyne middle-of-the-road context (both musically and culturally). — Wesley Stace, WSJ, "âVoicesâ Review: Singers in the Key of Life," 20 Dec. 2018 That anodyne language masks the conflict within the administration over how Obama should respond. — Philip Bump, Washington Post, "Trump again declines to criticize a questionable election," 20 Mar. 2018 On the face of it, Pruittâs remarks are relatively anodyne. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Scott Pruittâs parting words to Trump: you are president âbecause of Godâs providenceâ," 6 July 2018 Some of the more anodyne ideas, like getting rid of the Eastern and Western Conference construction and seeding playoffs 1-to-16, might improve the league but would likely do little to erode the inevitability of Warriors championships. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "The NBA isn't fair, you say? Maybe you're looking at it the wrong way," 4 July 2018 The germ of the conspiracy theory had to do with one of the most anodyne parts of my job. — Benjamin Hart, Daily Intelligencer, "A Decade at Obamaâs Side: An Interview With Ben Rhodes," 17 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
This might seem extreme: at first glance, the roundtableâs recommendations border on the anodyne. — The Economist, "Big business is beginning to accept broader social responsibilities," 22 Aug. 2019 Even an anodyne softball game between Sandersâs staff and members of the press became a source of (minor) controversy. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Bernie Sanders Has a Plan to Save Journalism," 28 Aug. 2019 But environmental groups fear that Abe and the G-20 would produce an anodyne communique that failed to grasp the seriousness of the crisis facing the planet. — Washington Post, "Japan aims for âharmonyâ at G-20. Is it sidestepping climate change?," 28 June 2019 Andreas writes, dismayed by the critical desire for stylistic polish, for harmony and nuance, for an anodyne realism that manipulates the reader into positions of quasi-philosophical profundity. — Merve Emre, The New York Review of Books, "âDismembered, Relocated, Rearrangedâ," 6 June 2019 Such films taught audiences how to keep Christmas in an anodyne manner that was designed not to give offense. — Terry Teachout, WSJ, "How the Movies Invented Christmas," 20 Dec. 2018 During this dark time, vodka was Caron's anodyne; her histrionics were tabloid fodder; and a song of love was a sad song, indeed. — Lili Rosenkranz, Town & Country, "T&C Family Album: Leslie Caron," 17 July 2014 Instead, they have been given a variety of anodyne, disposable names like Spotted Zebra (kids clothes), Good Brief (menâs underwear), Wag (dog food) and Rivet (home furnishings). — New York Times, "Amazon, the Brand Buster," 23 June 2018 So as anodyne as the choice of artists might be, tonightâs Vance Joy show masks a surprisingly risky move for a pair of companies that are at the forefront of a larger conversation about privacy and user safety. — Peter Rubin, WIRED, "With Venues, Oculus and Facebook Push Social VR Into New Territory," 30 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anodyne.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for anodyne
anodyne
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of anodyne
See the full definition for anodyne in the English Language Learners Dictionary
anodyne
adjective