deleterious

[del-i-teer-ee-uhs]

adjective

1. injurious to health.

   deleterious gases.

2. harmful; injurious.

   deleterious influences.

   Synonyms: noxious, destructive, hurtful, pernicious
   Antonyms: beneficial

deleterious

/ ˌdɛlɪˈtɪərɪəs /

adjective

1. harmful; injurious; hurtful

Other Word Forms

• deleteriously adverb
• deleteriousness noun
• nondeleterious adjective
• nondeleteriously adverb
• nondeleteriousness noun
• undeleterious adjective
• undeleteriously adverb
• undeleteriousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deleterious¹

1635–45; < Greek dēlētḗrios destructive, adj. derivative of dēlētḗr destroyer, equivalent to dēlē- variant stem of dēleîsthai to hurt, injure + -tēr agent suffix + -ios adj. suffix; -ious

Word History and Origins

Origin of deleterious¹

C17: from New Latin dēlētērius, from Greek dēlētērios injurious, destructive, from dēleisthai to hurt

Example Sentences

And some pointed out different reasons for a decline in business, including the deleterious effect that recent immigration enforcement raids — and the protests they spurred — have had on tourism.

From Los Angeles Times

This duality of the natural and spiritual world is not wholly unique to radical Protestantism, but it has certainly showed up in a variety of deleterious ways.

From Salon

When an amoral American president is proudly tanking his country’s international reputation, a centrist American pope’s rebuke could be politically deleterious.

From Salon

Reviewing a novel that relies on reveals for much of its tension can be difficult, as it would be unfair and deleterious to the reading experience to say too much about the twists and turns.

From Los Angeles Times

The proposed change comes amid a flurry of actions by the Trump administration to push for more development and resource extraction on public lands, which conservationists believe will harm wildlife, among other deleterious effects.

From Los Angeles Times