adjective · rare

pernicious

pernicious · more pernicious · most pernicious

шкідливий, згубний

вредный, зловредный, пагубный, тлетворный

schädlich, tödlich, bösartig, perniziös

Causing much harm in a subtle wayCausing much harm in a subtle way.

ⓘ

UK/pəˈnɪʃəs/US/pɚˈnɪʃəs/

» It's not illegal, but it's pernicious.

Meaning

4 senses

Causing much harm in a subtle way.
pernicious influence
pernicious effects
schädlich, bösartig, verderblich
тлетво́рныйtletvórnyj, па́губныйpágubnyj, зловредныйzlovrednyj
згубнийzhubnyj, шкідливийškidlyvyj
Causing death or injury; deadly.
perniziös, tödlich
вре́дныйvrédnyj, ги́бельныйgíbelʹnyj
Insidiously villainous: intending to cause harm, especially in a subtle way.
(obsolete)Swift; celeritous.

More definitions

working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
exceedingly harmful

Examples

5 sentences

It's not illegal, but it's pernicious.
CC BY · Tatoeba · Winter · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
A half-truth is more pernicious than a lie.
ruПолуправда пагубнее лжи.
CC BY · Tatoeba · ddnktr · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Pervasive and pernicious deviations from both fact and logical validity lurked behind a meretricious plausibility.
CC BY · Tatoeba · halfb1t · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
I think that the romantic myth is one of the most pernicious of our times.
CC BY · Tatoeba · fekundulo · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
The essay itself isn't a problem, but all these pernicious questions and glossary make me awfully mad!
CC BY · Tatoeba · neron · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Translations

9 languages

Українська

By meaning 1

causing much harm:

Русский

By meaning 2

causing much harm:

causing death or injury:

Deutsch

By meaning 2

causing much harm:

causing death or injury:

Origin

From Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciōsus (“destructive”), fr

From Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciōsus (“destructive”), from perniciēs (“destruction”), from per (“through”) + nex (“slaughter, death”).

Analyzable as pernīx ("swift") + -ious.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source