as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the pernicious effects of illegal narcotics on society
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Recent Examples of pernicious
Ukraine is fighting against a Russia that has been a pernicious, destabilizing force on the global stage.
—
Frida Ghitis, CNN, 22 Jan. 2023
And yet, three full years into the pandemic, scientists are still trying to understand what exactly makes SARS-CoV-2 so pernicious.
—Joel Achenbach, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Jan. 2023
But while the American public seems well aware of social media’s pernicious effects on political discourse, don’t expect things to change anytime soon.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2022
Does this persistent and pernicious misapprehension of the importance of fish in the Mediterranean’s past have ramifications for the modern inheritors of the Mediterranean Sea thousands of years later?
—Paul Greenberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for pernicious
Frida Ghitis, CNN, 22 Jan. 2023
And yet, three full years into the pandemic, scientists are still trying to understand what exactly makes SARS-CoV-2 so pernicious.
—Joel Achenbach, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Jan. 2023
But while the American public seems well aware of social media’s pernicious effects on political discourse, don’t expect things to change anytime soon.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2022
Does this persistent and pernicious misapprehension of the importance of fish in the Mediterranean’s past have ramifications for the modern inheritors of the Mediterranean Sea thousands of years later?
—Paul Greenberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for pernicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pernicious
Adjective
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Scientists have found bits of plastic in the ocean that are coated in communities of microorganisms, including harmful bacteria.5 Jayakrishnan said the microplastics in the body may play a similar role, offering a medium for cancer-causing bacteria to grow and disrupt the gut microbiome.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
7 Mar. 2025
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Insecticides have been identified as leading causes of butterfly decline, which can be tackled with policy intervention such as restricting harmful insecticides, promoting integrated pest management and encouraging diversified cropping, according to the study.—
Sarah Metz,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Part of this season’s focus has been on building his partnership with Murphy, whose primary attacking role is to find Isak in dangerous areas, and encouraging his team-mates to involve the striker whenever possible.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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Paved highways meant dangerous going for horse and rider, and her only mishap of the trip would come at Portland, when Goldie slipped on rain-slick pavement and fell on his rider and broke her leg, resulting in a delay of several weeks.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In addition to losing the benefits for our kids, this loss of funds is a huge blow to community farmers and ranchers and is detrimental to school meal programs struggling to manage rising food and labor costs.—
Khaleda Rahman,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
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Musk’s Twitter purchase was a bad deal financially and has been detrimental to X’s bottom line, but his ownership of the platform helped boost his cultural and political relevance by keeping him in the center of the news cycle.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The cyclone was already bringing heavy rainfall to coastal areas on Saturday, along with damaging winds and storm surges.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
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Choosing the wrong treatment can be damaging, or even fatal.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Environmental groups have long opposed the new reservoir and objected to a shorter judicial review, saying the project will release unacceptable amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas, into the air in addition to other adverse impacts.—
Ari Plachta,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
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Severe chikungunya-like adverse reactions occurred in 1.6% of IXCHIQ recipients and none of the placebo recipients, according to the FDA.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to pernicious
Cite this Entry
“Pernicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pernicious. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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