Need another word that means the same as “pernicious”? Find 31 synonyms and 30 related words for “pernicious” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Pernicious” are: insidious, subtle, baneful, deadly, pestilent, harmful, damaging, destructive, injurious, hurtful, detrimental, deleterious, dangerous, adverse, inimical, unhealthy, unfavourable, bad, evil, baleful, wicked, malign, malevolent, malignant, noxious, poisonous, cancerous, corrupting, ruinous, lethal, fatal
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “pernicious” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
| adverse | Contrary to your interests or welfare. Taxes are having an adverse effect on production. |
| bad | Feeling physical discomfort or pain tough is occasionally used colloquially for bad. A bad chess player. |
| baleful | Having a harmful or destructive effect. A baleful look. |
| baneful | Deadly or sinister. The baneful effects of envy and jealousy. |
| cancerous | Affected by or showing abnormalities characteristic of cancer. A cancerous growth. |
| corrupting | Touched by rot or decay. Corrupt judges and their corrupting influence. |
| damaging | Having a detrimental effect on someone or something. Damaging allegations of corruption. |
| dangerous | Involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm. Insecticides which are dangerous to the environment. |
| deadly | Extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom. A series of deadly attacks. |
| deleterious | Causing harm or damage. Divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children. |
| destructive | Negative and unhelpful. A policy that is destructive to the economy. |
| detrimental | (sometimes followed by `to’) causing harm or injury. Recent policies have been detrimental to the interests of many old people. |
| evil | Of a force or spirit embodying or associated with the forces of the devil. An evil influence. |
| fatal | Causing death. Such doctrines if true would be absolutely fatal to my theory. |
| harmful | Causing or likely to cause harm. Sugars which can be harmful to the teeth. |
| hurtful | Causing distress to someone’s feelings. His hurtful remarks. |
| inimical | Tending to obstruct or harm. An inimical critic. |
| injurious | Harmful to living things. Food which is injurious to health. |
| insidious | Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects. Insidious pleasures. |
| lethal | Very harmful or destructive. The Krakatoa eruption was the most lethal on record. |
| malevolent | Having or exerting a malignant influence. The glint of dark malevolent eyes. |
| malign | Of a disease malignant. Prompted by malign motives. |
| malignant | (of a tumour) tending to invade normal tissue or to recur after removal; cancerous. In the hands of malignant fate. |
| noxious | Injurious to physical or mental health. Noxious chemical wastes. |
| pestilent | Destructive to life; deadly. A pestilential malignancy in the air. |
| poisonous | Marked by deep ill will; deliberately harmful. Poisonous chemicals. |
| ruinous | Costing far more than can be afforded. A ruinous effect on the environment. |
| subtle | Making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something. Subtle lighting. |
| unfavourable | Likely to lead to an adverse outcome. Single mothers are often the target of unfavourable press attention. |
| unhealthy | Not having or showing good health. An unhealthy climate. |
| wicked | Extremely unpleasant. A wicked sense of humour. |
| antidote | A remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison. There is no known antidote to the poison of the pufferfish. |
| counterproductive | Having the opposite of the desired effect. Child experts fear the Executive s plans may prove counterproductive. |
| damaging | Causing harm or injury. New cars are less damaging to the environment. |
| deadly | Exceedingly harmful. Her skin was deadly pale. |
| deleterious | Harmful to living things. Deleterious chemical additives. |
| detrimental | Tending to cause harm. Recent policies have been detrimental to the interests of many old people. |
| devastating | Physically or spiritually devastating often used in combination. She had a devastating wit. |
| exotoxin | A toxin that is secreted by microorganisms into the surrounding medium. |
| fatal | Having momentous consequences; of decisive importance. Such doctrines if true would be absolutely fatal to my theory. |
| harmful | Causing or likely to cause harm. Harmful effects of smoking. |
| injurious | (of language) maliciously insulting; libellous. Food which is injurious to health. |
| lethal | (in a sporting context) very accurate or skilful. A lethal injection. |
| libelous | (used of statements) harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign. |
| mercury | Temperature measured by a mercury thermometer. The mercury was falling rapidly. |
| mortal | Causing or liable to cause death; fatal. For three mortal days it rained. |
| noxious | Injurious to physical or mental health. Noxious ideas. |
| poison | Kill by its poison. Poison someone s mind. |
| poisoning | The act of giving poison to a person or animal with the intent to kill. Symptoms of poisoning may include nausea diarrhoea and vomiting. |
| poisonous | Extremely unpleasant or malicious. Poisonous hate. |
| pollutant | A substance that pollutes something, especially water or the atmosphere. Chemical pollutants. |
| prejudicial | Causing harm or injury. The proposals were considered prejudicial to the city centre. |
| ruinous | Extremely harmful; bringing physical or financial ruin. The cost of their ransom might be ruinous. |
| toxic | Denoting securities that are based on toxic debt and for which there is not a healthy or functioning market. Toxic chemicals. |
| toxicity | The quality of being very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way. That was how I protected my partner from my family s toxicity. |
| toxin | A poisonous substance produced during the metabolism and growth of certain microorganisms and some higher plant and animal species. |
| unhealthy | Harmful to health. His skin looked pale and unhealthy. |
| vampire | (folklore) a corpse that rises at night to drink the blood of the living. The protectionist vampires in the Congress. |
| venom | Extreme malice and bitterness shown in someone’s attitudes, speech, or actions. His voice was full of venom. |
| venomous | (of an animal, especially a snake) secreting venom, or capable of injecting venom by means of a bite or sting. Venomous snakes. |
| virulent | Harsh or corrosive in tone. Staphylococcus aureus is a common organism whose virulent strains are causing problems. |
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