insidious

American  

[in-sid-ee-uhs] / ɪnˈsɪd i əs /

adjective

1. intended to entrap or beguile.

   an insidious plan.

2. stealthily treacherous or deceitful.

   an insidious enemy.

   Synonyms:

   crafty, subtle, wily, cunning, artful

3. operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect.

   an insidious disease.

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insidious British  

/ ɪnˈsɪdɪəs /

adjective

1. stealthy, subtle, cunning, or treacherous

2. working in a subtle or apparently innocuous way, but nevertheless deadly

   an insidious illness

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Usage

What does insidious mean? Insidious describes something as being sneaky or being secretly dangerous or harmful.Insidious also describes something as being corrupting or intending to entrap.The word insidious is used to describe something as being stealthy, treacherous, or operating in the shadows, as in He came up with an insidious plan to rob the jewelry store. Insidious is always associated with something negative, implying something is bad or is going to cause harm.Insidious is also often used to describe something as appearing harmless or nonthreatening but subtly causing serious damage, as in The insidious language in the book radicalized many readers without them even knowing it.Related to this sense, insidious is used in medicine to refer to diseases that slowly get worse and worse without any noticeable signs that they are there at all. Cancer is often described as insidious because it is often found when it is too late to treat it.Example: The investigators were after an insidious group of hackers who were stealing government secrets.

Other Word Forms

• insidiously adverb
• insidiousness noun
• uninsidious adjective
• uninsidiously adverb
• uninsidiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of insidious

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin insidiōsus “deceitful,” from insidi(ae) (plural) “an ambush” (from insidēre “to sit in”) + -ōsus -ous; sit ¹

Example Sentences

“Wildfire is insidious. It doesn’t stop at the fence line.”

From Los Angeles Times

More insidious groupthink has taken hold inside the NFL: only quarterbacks can win the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Crucially", he said, it would also test whether the law can keep up with insidious, emerging forms of stalking, including those carried out online or using "new technology".

From BBC

In fact, it makes that damage more insidious.

From Salon

While past reports have highlighted the dangers of deforestation, this study spotlights a more insidious threat: fire-driven degradation that erodes forest integrity without necessarily clearing it.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• dangerous
• subtle