Adjective the otherwise anodyne comments sounded quite inflammatory when taken out of context Noun 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

Western consumers used to be indifferent enough to Chinese politics that Western executives did not have to factor it into their business plans — especially for something as seemingly anodyne as a children’s film reboot. Eva Dou, Washington Post, "Disney’s ‘Mulan’ faces criticism for filming in China’s Xinjiang region," 8 Sep. 2020

The narrator is to have no part in the suicide other than offering emotional support—but what could such an anodyne phrase mean in the context of imminent death? Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: A Designated Mourner," 4 Sep. 2020

An intermission came in the form of Ronna Romney McDaniel, who was permitted to give a fairly anodyne Republican adoration of Trump as anti-tax and pro-trade. Adam Weinstein, The New Republic, "Republicans Invite America to Play the “Dear Leader” Lottery," 24 Aug. 2020

The somewhat anodyne message of solidarity — which was later removed — unleashed a fire hose of acrimony. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "China’s war with the NBA and the frailty of the liberal order," 9 Oct. 2019

The same theme was sounded by global-warming rock star Greta Thunberg and by Britain’s Prince Charles (as always, a lagging indicator of fashionable pseudo-intellectual comment on any topic) in his otherwise anodyne Earth Day message. Jonathan S. Tobin, National Review, "How Not to Celebrate Earth Day," 22 Apr. 2020

That anodyne phrase, that language of indifference without ownership, upheld so much silence in so many places. Anne Diebel, The New York Review of Books, "The Good Guy," 28 Jan. 2020

The court's order came in an anodyne statement with no dissents - just the kind of thing legal experts say the court strives for. Author: Robert Barnes, Ann E. Marimow, Anchorage Daily News, "As Trump cases arrive, Supreme Court’s desire to be seen as neutral arbiter will be tested," 27 Nov. 2019

Since then the 67-year-old king has assembled a court whose intrigue frequently spills onto the pages of the Royal Thai Government Gazette, which normally records more anodyne matters. Hannah Beech, New York Times, "‘Extremely Evil Misconduct’: Thailand’s Palace Intrigue Spills Into View," 6 Nov. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Peterson pauses, running his hand along the blue aluminum-anodyne actuator machined to match the length of Daniel’s right thigh. John Brant, Popular Mechanics, "At the Bionic Olympics, Engineers and Athletes Make Miracles," 27 Apr. 2020

This is the confluence that defines the spectacle: statistics, like photographs, have a kind of moral authority, one whose meaning may repel us but one that nevertheless encourages certainty, and thus anodyne. Shannon Pufahl, The New York Review of Books, "Numbering the Dead," 21 Apr. 2020

Ten years ago, lazy auto writers used the Toyota Camry as shorthand for anodyne transportation, a car for people who think of cars as appliances. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, "2020 Nissan Rogue SL Is the Camry of Crossovers," 13 Mar. 2020

The result of all that rulemaking and political sensitivity is the anodyne Covid-19. Adam Rogers, Wired, "Coronavirus Has a Name: The Deadly Disease Is Covid-19," 11 Feb. 2020

To yield to the soft tyranny of transgender pronouns is to pretend that gender dysphoria is an anodyne lifestyle on which societal legitimacy should be conferred, not a psychological malady requiring compassion and psychological treatment. Josh Hammer, National Review, "The Fifth Circuit Rejects the Lie of Transgender Pronouns," 27 Jan. 2020

As head of state, the British monarch is expected to remain publicly neutral on political matters, and the queen’s addresses tend to be broad, anodyne and even a little opaque. New York Times, "Queen’s Christmas Message Acknowledges a ‘Bumpy’ Year for U.K.," 24 Dec. 2019

Santa Clausification’—the softening of a public figure’s profile into something more anodyne and broadly acceptable. Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Greta Thunberg," 25 Sep. 2019

Even gluttony can be spun as anodyne, a form of self-care. Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, "The Service That Makes Shame a Productivity Hack," 2 Dec. 2019

These 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.