pernicious — pernicious, baneful, noxious, deleterious, detrimental are comparable when they mean exceedingly harmful but they differ as to the kind and extent of the potential for harm. Something is either pernicious or baneful which is irreparably harmful… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
pernicious — [pər nish′əs] adj. [Fr pernicieux < L perniciosus < pernicies, destruction < pernecare, to kill < per, thoroughly + necare, to kill: see NECRO ] 1. causing great injury, destruction, or ruin; fatal; deadly 2. Rare wicked; evil… … English World dictionary
Pernicious — Per*ni cious, a. [L. pernix, icis.] Quick; swift (to burn). [R.] Milton. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
pernicious — I adjective adverse, affliciting, baleful, baneful, brutal, calamitous, catastrophic, corrosive, crippling, cruel, damaging, deadly, death bringing, death dealing, deathful, deathly, deleterious, destructive, detrimental, devouring, diabolic,… … Law dictionary
pernicious — 1520s, from M.Fr. pernicios (13c., Fr. pernicieux), from L. perniciosus destructive, from pernicies destruction, death, ruin, from per completely + necis violent death, murder, related to necare to kill, nocere to hurt, injure, harm, noxa … Etymology dictionary
pernicious — [adj] bad, hurtful baleful, damaging, dangerous, deadly, deleterious, destructive, detrimental, devastating, evil, fatal, harmful, iniquitous, injurious, killing, lethal, maleficent, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, miasmatic, miasmic,… … New thesaurus
pernicious — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way. DERIVATIVES perniciously adverb perniciousness noun. ORIGIN Latin perniciosus destructive … English terms dictionary
pernicious — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) adj. malign, ruinous, poisonous, detrimental, injurious, harmful; wicked. See badness. II (Roget s IV) modif. Syn. harmful, deleterious, detrimental, noxious, baneful, damaging, prejudicial, ruinous,… … English dictionary for students
pernicious — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French, from Latin perniciosus, from pernicies destruction, from per + nec , nex violent death more at noxious Date: 15th century 1. highly injurious or destructive ; deadly 2. archaic wicked •… … New Collegiate Dictionary
pernicious — perniciously, adv. perniciousness, n. /peuhr nish euhs/, adj. 1. causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful: pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie. 2. deadly; fatal: a pernicious disease. 3. Obs. evil; wicked. [1515 25; < L… … Universalium
