deleterious

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deleterious

/ˌdɛl.ɪˈtɪə̯.ɹi.əs/ UK
/ˌdɪl.ɪˈtɪə̯.ɹi.əs/ UK
/ˌdɛ.ləˈtɪɹ.i.əs/ US

Rhymes with -ɪəɹiəs

Where it comes from

Adapted borrowing (1640s; 1582 as deletorious) of New Latin dēlētērius, dēlētōrius + -ous, from Ancient Greek δηλητήριος (dēlētḗrios, “noxious, deleterious”), from δηλητήρ (dēlētḗr, “a destroyer”), from δηλέομαι (dēléomai, “I hurt, damage, spoil, waste”). Not related to delete or deleble. Doublet of deletery.

adjective more deleterious · most deleterious · deletorious

formal Harmful, often in a subtle or unexpected way. deleterious effects
Similar: destructive, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, damaging, deleterious, detrimental, inimical, mischievous, nocent
Having lower fitness. A deleterious mutation

Translations

Every language

adj harmful

Español	deletéreo
한국어	해로운 haeroun
Português	deletério
Français	délétère
Deutsch	schädlich, gesundheitsschädlich
Italiano	deleterio
Ελληνικά	βλαπτικός vlaptikós
Română	deleter, vătămător, nociv, dăunător
Русский	вре́дный vrédnyj, вредоно́сный vredonósnyj

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MLA

"deleterious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/deleterious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

deleterious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/deleterious

Chicago

"deleterious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/deleterious.

BibTeX

@misc{deleterious_2026,
  title = {deleterious},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/deleterious},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}