ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Insidious

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ɪnˈsɪdi.əs/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Insidious is an adjective meaning Causing harm in a stealthy, often gradual, manner.

Meaning

Causing harm in a stealthy, often gradual, manner.

More Meanings

  1. Intending to entrap; alluring but harmful.
  2. (nonstandard) Treacherous.

Example Sentences

At some point in time they may become the source of an insidious cancer.
Hansel and Gretel were lured by the witch’s insidious gingerbread house.
The nurse always must be alert to signs of slow leak or insidious infiltration.
Strong and vigorous man as he looks, Livingstone has been for years the victim of a secret and insidious disease.

Synonyms for insidious

Depending on context, synonyms include subtle, perfidious, proditorious, traitorous, booky, dastardly.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include pernicious, harmful, subtle, dangerous, unsafe, seductive.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.