pernicious
English · Thesaurus
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pernicious¹
- /pəˈnɪʃəs/ UK
- /pɚˈnɪʃəs/ US
Rhymes with -ɪʃəs
Where it comes from
From Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciōsus (“destructive”), from perniciēs (“destruction”), from per (“through”) + nex (“slaughter, death”).
adjective more pernicious · most pernicious
-
Causing much harm in a subtle way.
pernicious influence
Similar: deleterious, venom
-
Causing death or injury; deadly.
Similar: attery
- Insidiously villainous: intending to cause harm, especially in a subtle way.
pernicious²
Where it comes from
Analyzable as pernīx ("swift") + -ious.
adjective more pernicious · most pernicious
- swift; celeritous.
Translations
Every language
adj causing much harm
| Español | pernicioso |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 有害な yūkai na |
| 中文 | 有害 yǒuhài |
| हिन्दी | नाशक nāśak |
| Português | pernicioso |
| Français | nocif, malsain, pernicieux |
| Deutsch | schädlich, bösartig, verderblich, perniziös |
| Italiano | pernicioso |
| Ελληνικά | ολέθριος oléthrios |
| Română | pernicios, vătămător, dăunător |
| Русский | тлетво́рный tletvórnyj, па́губный págubnyj, зловредный zlovrednyj |
adj causing death or injury
| Español | pernicioso |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 致命的な chimeiteki na |
| 中文 | 致命 zhìmìng |
| हिन्दी | नाशक nāśak |
| Português | mórbido |
| Français | nocif, délétère, nuisible, dangereux |
| Deutsch | perniziös, tödlich |
| Ελληνικά | ολέθριος oléthrios, θανατηφόρος thanatifóros |
| Română | pernicios, vătămător, dăunător |
| Русский | вре́дный vrédnyj, ги́бельный gíbelʹnyj |
Talk about this word "pernicious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pernicious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pernicious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pernicious "pernicious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pernicious.Cite this
@misc{pernicious_2026,
title = {pernicious},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pernicious},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
