pernicious

[ per-nish-uhs ]

adjective

1. causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful:

   pernicious teachings;

   a pernicious lie.

   Synonyms: malicious, noxious, baneful, damaging, destructive, deleterious, detrimental, harmful

2. deadly; fatal:

   a pernicious disease.

   Synonyms: lethal

3. Obsolete. evil; wicked.

pernicious

/ pəˈnɪʃəs /

adjective

1. wicked or malicious

   pernicious lies

2. causing grave harm; deadly

Derived Forms

• perˈniciousness, noun
• perˈniciously, adverb

Other Words From

• per·nicious·ly adverb
• per·nicious·ness noun
• unper·nicious adjective
• unper·nicious·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pernicious¹

First recorded in 1515–25; from Latin perniciōsus “ruinous,” from pernici(ēs) “ruin” (from per- per- + -nici-, combining form of nex “death, murder” + -ēs, noun suffix) + -ōsus -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of pernicious¹

C16: from Latin perniciōsus, from perniciēs ruin, from per- (intensive) + nex death

Example Sentences

We will pursue every legal avenue we can to block this pernicious law.

From Washington Blade

To his credit, Rhodes does not pretend to have all of the answers about how to stop such pernicious trends.

From Washington Post

It is this government subsidy in the form of tax-exempt treatment that is really pernicious.

From Freakonomics

Driven to solve deep, pernicious and socially significant problems, but with an embedded pragmatism, Damo is keen to keep growing far out from its parent’s shade.

From MIT Technology Review

Last February, according to NPR, China’s legislature started taking steps to “uproot the pernicious habit of eating wild animals.”

From MIT Technology Review

He simply rode out the same blandly pernicious progressivism that elites in both parties embrace.

From The Daily Beast

Even more pernicious is this: Look at who these men are actually contacting.

From The Daily Beast

In the case of Hollywood actresses, too, this expectation takes on an even more pernicious dimension.

From The Daily Beast

Cancer is the most pernicious, insidious, disgusting disease of life.

From The Daily Beast

I spoke to my students about mobilizing against this pernicious threat to our civilization.

From The Daily Beast

It occurs in well-marked cases of pernicious anemia and leukemia, and, much less commonly, in very severe symptomatic anemias.

From Project Gutenberg

In pernicious anemia they are always greatly diminished, and an increase should exclude the diagnosis of this disease.

From Project Gutenberg

Megaloblasts are found in pernicious anemia, and with extreme rarity in any other condition.

From Project Gutenberg

Pathologically, normoblasts occur in severe symptomatic anemia, leukemia, and pernicious anemia.

From Project Gutenberg

A few of these may be present in very marked leukocytosis or any severe blood condition, as pernicious anemia.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• damaging
• dangerous
• deadly
• destructive
• detrimental
• devastating
• harmful
• lethal
• malicious
• nefarious
• noxious
• poisonous
• ruinous
• toxic
• virulent