Meanings
pernicious1
comparative more pernicious · superlative most pernicious
- Causing much harm in a subtle way.
pernicious effects
5 more examples
pernicious influence
They warned of the pernicious effects of misinformation.
The weed has a pernicious influence on local crops.
Ang. Belieue me on mine Honor, My words expreſſe my purpoſe. Iſa. Ha? Little honor, to be much beleeu'd, And moſt pernitious purpoſe: Seeming, ſeeming. I will proclaime thee Angelo, looke for't.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], page 70, column 1[…]her health also having suffered by the change, she immediately, when told of Douglas's projected departure from India, felt the strongest desire to accompany him; and to which Colonel Melbourne the more readily consented, having with reluctance yielded to her request of quitting England, willing as he had been to sacrifice the enjoyment of her society rather than that she should submit to the disadvantages attendant upon a residence in a clime usually found so pernicious to the female constitution.
1838, [Letitia Elizabeth] Landon (indicated as editor), chapter XVIII, in Duty and Inclination: […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 231Synonyms: deleterious, venom
- Insidiously villainous: intending to cause harm, especially in a subtle way.
pernicious2
comparative more pernicious · superlative most pernicious
- obsoleteswift; celeritous.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveCausing much harm in a subtle way.
adjectiveCausing death or injury; deadly.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
pernicious · adjective
- Latinperniciōsus“destructive”
- Old Frenchpernicios
- Englishpernicious
From Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciōsus (“destructive”), from perniciēs (“destruction”), from per (“through”) + nex (“slaughter, death”).
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian па́губен, ги́белен
- па́губен (páguben)causing much harm
- ги́белен (gíbelen)causing death or injury
- па́губен (páguben)causing death or injury
Chinese Mandarin 有害, 致命
- 有害 (yǒuhài)causing much harm
- 致命 (zhìmìng)causing death or injury
Danish fordærvelig
- fordærveligcausing much harm
Dutch schadelijk, destructief
- schadelijkcausing much harm
- destructiefcausing much harm
- verderfelijkcausing much harm
- dodelijkcausing death or injury
- schadelijkcausing death or injury
Finnish turmiollinen, haitallinen
- turmiollinencausing much harm
- haitallinencausing much harm
- tuhoisacausing much harm
- tappavacausing death or injury
French nocif, malsain
- nocifcausing much harm
- malsaincausing much harm
- pernicieuxcausing much harm
- nocifcausing death or injury
- délétèrecausing death or injury
- nuisiblecausing death or injury
- dangereuxcausing death or injury
German schädlich, bösartig
- schädlichcausing much harm
- bösartigcausing much harm
- verderblichcausing much harm
- perniziöscausing much harm
- perniziöscausing death or injury
- tödlichcausing death or injury
Greek ολέθριος, ολέθριος
- ολέθριος (oléthrios)causing much harm
- ολέθριος (oléthrios)causing death or injury
- θανατηφόρος (thanatifóros)causing death or injury
Hindi नाशक, नाशक
- नाशक (nāśak)causing much harm
- नाशक (nāśak)causing death or injury
Hungarian ártalmas, veszedelmes
- ártalmascausing much harm
- veszedelmescausing death or injury
Italian pernicioso
- perniciosocausing much harm
Japanese 有害な, 致命的な
- 有害な (yūkai na)causing much harm
- 致命的な (chimeiteki na)causing death or injury
Latin perniciosus
- perniciosuscausing much harm
Māori whakawhara, whakamōrearea
- whakawharacausing death or injury
- whakamōreareacausing death or injury
Norwegian Bokmål fordervelig
- forderveligcausing much harm
Polish groźny, szkodliwy
- groźnycausing much harm
- szkodliwycausing much harm
- zgubnycausing much harm
- zgubnycausing death or injury
Portuguese pernicioso, mórbido
- perniciosocausing much harm
- mórbidocausing death or injury
Romanian pernicios, vătămător
- pernicioscausing much harm
- vătămătorcausing much harm
- dăunătorcausing much harm
- pernicioscausing death or injury
- vătămătorcausing death or injury
- dăunătorcausing death or injury
Russian тлетво́рный, па́губный
- тлетво́рный (tletvórnyj)causing much harm
- па́губный (págubnyj)causing much harm
- зловредный (zlovrednyj)causing much harm
- вре́дный (vrédnyj)causing death or injury
- ги́бельный (gíbelʹnyj)causing death or injury
Scottish Gaelic sgriosail
- sgriosailcausing much harm
Spanish pernicioso, pernicioso
- perniciosocausing much harm
- perniciosocausing death or injury
Swedish fördärvlig
- fördärvligcausing much harm
Turkish habis, muzır
- habiscausing much harm
- muzırcausing much harm
- pernisiyözcausing much harm
- zararlıcausing much harm
- ölümcülcausing death or injury
- pernisiyözcausing death or injury
Ukrainian згубний, шкідливий
- згубний (zhubnyj)causing much harm
- шкідливий (škidlyvyj)causing much harm
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with pernicious
Anagrams
Cite this entry
pernicious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pernicious
“pernicious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pernicious. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pernicious,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pernicious.
Source: pernicious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.