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
One of the most pernicious forms of homegrown mass violence is school shootings.
—
Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2025
The groper was a lowlife—a deranged doctor, bent on harvesting astronaut semen for pernicious procreative ends.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
On the surface, dietary advice to eat more vegetables hardly seems pernicious.
—Rachel Hope Cleves / Made By History, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
Eggs have become vivid symbols of Americans’ frustration over the pernicious inflation of recent years.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pernicious
Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2025
The groper was a lowlife—a deranged doctor, bent on harvesting astronaut semen for pernicious procreative ends.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
On the surface, dietary advice to eat more vegetables hardly seems pernicious.
—Rachel Hope Cleves / Made By History, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
Eggs have become vivid symbols of Americans’ frustration over the pernicious inflation of recent years.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pernicious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pernicious
Adjective
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In more extreme cases, happiness can also be derived from sources that are harmful to others.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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That chamber is sealed, plus the SoftGel is non-toxic, so harmful fumes reportedly shouldn't be a problem.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Whatever happens in their final qualifier, against Argentina on Tuesday, La Tri will travel to the World Cup next summer as one of South America’s most dangerous teams.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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To dissidents, she has been seen as a hero putting her life on the line; to Modi’s supporters, as a dangerous subversive who is anti-national and anti-Hindu.—
Anderson Tepper,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The fluctuations in temperature can be detrimental to the shelf life of products.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
30 Aug. 2025
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Like hurricanes, property taxes hit everyone, and the detrimental consequences for Black people have been most severe.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The National Weather Service in Nashville said the region is at a slight risk, a two on the five-step scale, for damaging winds, isolated large hail, heavy rains, frequent lightning and a possible tornado.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
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The terrifying part is that these attacks are likely to become more frequent and more damaging.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The specialty retailer’s chief financial officer, Robert Ball, said Abercrombie has seen about $5 million in adverse impact from tariffs during the second quarter, chiefly manifested in the cost of sales, and expects $90 million net impact from tariffs for the year.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Sep. 2025
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This tool helps with reading, writing, summarizing, adverse-event profile reviews, label comparisons, clinical protocol assessments, and even generating database code.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pernicious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pernicious. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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