Dictionary.com

deleterious

[ del-i-teer-ee-uhs ]
/ ˌdɛl ɪˈtɪər i əs /
Save This Word!

adjective
injurious to health: deleterious gases.
harmful; injurious: deleterious influences.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of deleterious

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; see -ious

OTHER WORDS FROM deleterious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deleterious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deleterious

deleterious
/ (ˌdɛlɪˈtɪərɪəs) /

adjective
harmful; injurious; hurtful

Derived forms of deleterious

deleteriously, adverbdeleteriousness, noun

Word Origin for deleterious

C17: from New Latin dēlētērius, from Greek dēlētērios injurious, destructive, from dēleisthai to hurt
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK