as in harmful
causing or capable of causing harm
the pernicious effects of illegal narcotics on society
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Make sure to not add dyes or sweeteners, which can be harmful to hummingbirds.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Our biochemical response to that type of stress is to release cortisol which eventually leads to the harmful downstream effects on our bodies, such as high blood pressure.—
Andrea Kane,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As the medical profession came to consider cocaine and morphine as equally dangerous, coca became associated with opium, and the public was led to believe that the ruinous effects of habitual opium use would inevitably befall those who regularly chewed coca leaves.—
Wade Davis,
Rolling Stone,
6 Apr. 2025
-
That means the garden isn't dangerous for Cummings' elderly father, who is allergic to bees.—
Martha Ann Overland,
NPR,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Institute for the Study of War said Friday that Russian strikes on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure under the cover of the ceasefire on energy strikes were detrimental to establishing peace.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Data shows how detrimental bad habits can be relative to the buy-and-hold investor.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But in recent years, lung disease for miners has become a major concern again, Laney says, because coal increasingly comes from mines embedded in sandstone, and which generates dust that's 20 times more damaging to lungs than coal.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The storms are threatening large hail and damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The foreign material could pose serious adverse health consequences, leading the FSIS to consider the recall a Class I—the agency's highest level of alert.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
7 Apr. 2025
-
And while the metal is usually excreted from the body, and most people experience no adverse side effects, previous research has shown some gadolinium particles have been left behind.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pernicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pernicious. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share