Insidious — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

beguiling but harmful

intended to entrap

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪnsˈɪdiəs/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪnsˈɪdiəs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪnsˈɪdiəs/

3 syllables Say it as /ɪnsˈɪdiəs/.

Examples

insidious pleasures
glaucoma is an insidious disease
a subtle poison

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

pernicious subtle

Parts of Speech

adjective	beguiling but harmful “insidious pleasures”
adjective	intended to entrap
adjective	working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way “glaucoma is an insidious disease”

Word Forms

insidiousness	noun	the quality of being designed to entrap
perniciousness	noun	grave harmfulness or deadliness

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

heimtückisch

betörend, aber schädlich

🇫🇷French

insidieux

séduisant mais nuisible

🇪🇸Spanish

insidioso

seductor pero dañino

🇮🇹Italian

insidioso

seducente ma dannoso

🇳🇱Dutch

verraderlijk

verleidelijk maar schadelijk

🇵🇹Portuguese

insidioso

sedutor, mas prejudicial

🇷🇺Russian

коварный

заманчиво, но вредно

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कपटी

भ्रामक लेकिन हानिकारक

🇧🇩Bengali

কপট

বিভ্রান্তিকর কিন্তু ক্ষতিকর

🇮🇳Tamil

நயவஞ்சகமான

ஏமாற்றும் ஆனால் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும்

🇮🇳Telugu

కృత్రిమమైన

మోసగించడం కానీ హానికరం

🇮🇳Marathi

कपटी

मोहक पण हानिकारक

🇮🇳Gujarati

કપટી

ભ્રામક પરંતુ હાનિકારક

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕಪಟ

ಮೋಸಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಆದರೆ ಹಾನಿಕಾರಕ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വഞ്ചനാപരമായ

വഞ്ചനാപരവും എന്നാൽ ഹാനികരവുമാണ്

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਧੋਖੇਬਾਜ਼

ਧੋਖਾ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਪਰ ਨੁਕਸਾਨਦੇਹ

🇵🇰Urdu

کپٹی

دھوکا دینے والا لیکن نقصان دہ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

阴险

迷人但有害

🇯🇵Japanese

陰湿な

魅力的だが有害

🇰🇷Korean

교활한

매력적이지만 해롭다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

quỷ quyệt

hấp dẫn nhưng có hại

🇹🇭Thai

ร้ายกาจ

ล่อลวงแต่เป็นอันตราย

🇮🇩Indonesian

berbahaya

memperdaya tapi berbahaya

🇵🇭Filipino

tuso

mapanlinlang ngunit nakakapinsala

🇲🇾Malay

licik

memperdaya tetapi memudaratkan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

غدرا

خادعة ولكنها ضارة

🇮🇷Persian

موذیانه

فریبنده اما مضر

🇹🇷Turkish

sinsi

aldatıcı ama zararlı

🇮🇱Hebrew

חַתרָנִי

מפתה אך מזיק

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'insidious'?

The primary meaning of 'insidious' is 'beguiling but harmful'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'insidious' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'insidious' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'insidious' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'insidious' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'insidious' in your daily reading?

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Occasionally

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Do you find 'insidious' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'insidious' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'insidious' in regular conversations?

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Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

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How likely are you to use 'insidious' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'insidious' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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