Gloss · Words · Pernicious

pernicious

pərˈnɪʃəsadjective

What does pernicious mean?

Doing harm slowly and quietly, so you notice it late.

Pernicious, six ways

PlainDoing harm slowly and quietly, so you notice it late.
ADHDSlow, hidden harm. Looks fine. Isn’t.
Gen ZThe kind of bad that sneaks up on you. Doom-scrolling, a toxic group chat.
MetaphorDamp in the walls: nothing you see, until the beam goes.
FormalHaving a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
Like I’m 5Something that hurts you a little at a time, so you don’t notice until later. That’s pernicious.

How to pronounce pernicious

per-NISH-us/pərˈnɪʃəs/

Pernicious in a sentence

Gossip had a pernicious effect on the office.
The pernicious myth that rest is laziness.
Lead paint had pernicious effects on children’s health.

Synonyms for pernicious

harmfulPlainer.
destructiveCauses ruin.
insidiousHarm that creeps in unnoticed.

Pernicious vs insidious: Insidious is about how the harm arrives: slowly, unnoticed. Pernicious is about how bad it is. The difference, in plain English.

Where pernicious comes from

Latin. Pernicies, destruction, from nex, a violent death.

Good to know

Pernicious is about how bad the harm is; insidious is about how quietly it arrives. Plenty of things are both.

Pernicious meaning, on a Gloss card: Doing harm slowly and quietly, so you notice it late.

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