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unthreatening

unthreatening

4 3.2
Not causing fear and looking harmless
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈθrɛtənɪŋ/
translation icon : no amenazante
  • The teacher spoke in an unthreatening tone, which made the students feel more comfortable asking questions.
  • completely unthreatening
  • friendly and unthreatening
  • unthreatening appearance

People are by and large, apparently willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, see him as an unthreatening caretaker providing things are OK.

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Examples

  • These notifications, on the headed paper of the Berlin Jewish Organisation, used a formal, unthreatening tone.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The room was filled with the pleasant smell of candles just snuffed, a smoke that was sweet and wholly unthreatening.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • "Henry," she said in an unthreatening voice, which surprised me, "it is a sin to lie."

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "The voice was pleasant and entirely unthreatening.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Quite an unthreatening environment, wouldn't you say?

  • The existence of such an organization should be completely unthreatening to all atheists.

    Blog text (10)
  • The avatar that filled the screen was roundish and unthreatening.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • In her little room at the top of the house, my daughter slept, and outside was the snow, gentle and unthreatening and more a reminder that winter was over than that some new and tremendous difficulty lay ahead.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "Escapists" go to the movies to lose, in an unthreatening environment, the map that locates them in a determined world and a defining set of life circumstances.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Minstrel humor was more unqualifiedly enjoyable because it was both unsubtle and unthreatening.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

nonthreatening
vsunthreatening
4 3.8

Not likely to make someone feel afraid or unsafe

is about not causing fear by appearance or manner
unoffensive
vsunthreatening
1 3.7

Something that does not upset people and is harmless

focuses on lack of fear caused by manner or appearance
unmenacing
vsunthreatening
4.6

Not looking or sounding dangerous

is the general idea of not causing fear rather than just looks
unalarming
vsunthreatening
3.2

Not causing fear or worry

emphasizes absence of harm in behaviour or appearance
unoffending
vsunthreatening
4.8

Not making people angry or hurting them

is used specifically for not producing fear by look or act
nonoffensive
vsunthreatening
3.5

Does not attack or harm and serves only to defend

is about not giving a scary or harmful impression to others

Antonyms

93 5.3

Making someone feel afraid, nervous, or less confident

65 3.6

Showing that something bad or dangerous may happen

How Threatening

dangerous
1.5
menacing
1 5.0
unthreatening
4 3.2
harmless
231 1.0

Surface Forms

unthreatening positive

Morphology

unthreatening = threatening (transparent) = un + threaten + ing

The prefix 'un-' clearly negates the adjective 'threatening', making the meaning straightforward.

Etymology

Unthreatening is built from the prefix un- meaning 'not' and threaten meaning 'to show danger or to say you will harm'. So, unthreatening means 'not causing fear' or 'not dangerous', like a person or animal that looks safe and friendly.