insidious

Intermediatezipf 3.24

Pronunciation

/ɪnˈsɪdiəs/(in-SID-ee-us)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

潜伏的；暗中为害的

Definition

Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way but with harmful effects.

Word family

  • insidiously/ɪnˈsɪdiəsli/(adv)暗中为害地
  • insidiousness/ɪnˈsɪdiəsnəs/(n)阴险

Collocations

  • insidious threat
  • insidious disease
  • insidious influence
  • insidious nature

Examples

  1. 1.The insidious spread of misinformation slowly eroded public trust. (gradual and harmful)
  2. 2.Cancer is often insidious — by the time symptoms appear, it may be advanced. (hidden danger)

Synonyms

  • treacherous/ˈtrɛtʃərəs/— deceptive and dangerous
  • stealthy/ˈstɛlθi/— quiet, avoiding detection
  • pernicious/pəˈnɪʃəs/— harmful, especially gradually

Etymology

from Latin "insidiae" = ambush — in- (in) + sedere (to sit) — sitting in wait to cause harm