Meaning & use
Perniciousness
Last updated
The quality of being harmful in a gradual, subtle, or deeply damaging way.
See it in a sentence
The perniciousness of the rumor lay in how quietly it spread through the office.
Historians have studied the perniciousness of propaganda in shaping public opinion.
A note on using this word
From Latin 'perniciosus,' meaning destructive; the word often implies danger that is not immediately obvious.
Words with a similar meaning
harmfulnessdestructiveness
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
harmlessness
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