pernicious

C1 Topic:Safety & Risk

US /pɚˈnɪʃəs/ UK /pəˈnɪʃəs/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way

The pernicious influence of social media on mental health is a growing concern.
2

adj
causing insidious harm or ruin

The pernicious spread of misinformation can undermine public trust.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having a harmful effect,... harmful damaging destructive injurious detrimental

2 adj · causing insidious harm or ruin insidious malevolent malignant noxious toxic

Opposites

beneficial harmless benign wholesome

Etymology

From Latin per- ('through') + nex/necis ('violent death') + -osus ('full of'), forming perniciosus ('destructive; deadly'); via Old French pernicieux into Middle English pernicious 'causing great harm or ruin'.

Topics

Safety & Risk Word Formation & Derivatives

# pernicious

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** pɚˈnɪʃəs
**IPA (UK):** pəˈnɪʃəs

## Meanings
1. having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way
2. causing insidious harm or ruin

## Examples
- The pernicious influence of social media on mental health is a growing concern.
- The pernicious spread of misinformation can undermine public trust.

## Synonyms
- harmful
- damaging
- destructive
- injurious
- detrimental
- insidious
- malevolent
- malignant
- noxious
- toxic

## Antonyms
- beneficial
- harmless
- benign
- wholesome

## Etymology
From Latin per- ('through') + nex/necis ('violent death') + -osus ('full of'), forming perniciosus ('destructive; deadly'); via Old French pernicieux into Middle English pernicious 'causing great harm or ruin'.

## AI Etymology
Pernicious comes from Latin per- ('through') + nex/necis ('violent death') + -osus ('full of'), forming perniciosus ('destructive; deadly'); via Old French pernicieux into Middle English pernicious 'causing great harm or ruin'. In current use it is an adjective meaning "having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Safety & Risk
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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