perniciously
1
8.9
- adverb
- /pərˈnɪʃəsli/
- Formal
:
perniciosamente
- It ruled that the balance weighed in favor of the free exercise of religion: that "the introduction of government standards to the selection of spiritual leaders would significantly, and perniciously, rearrange the relationship between church and state."
Examples
-
If only the wheels didn't squeak so perniciously.
-
The countries of what is coming to be called East-Central Europe have various needs in common, but to organize the region on that basis would perniciously serve to perpetuate Cold War divisions.
Academic text (1990) -
The point is, this version of the New Critical ideas made its way widely and perniciously into the teaching and understanding of poetry over the second half of the 20th century.
Blog text (32) -
And, in some ways most perniciously, many look at Israel and think we pay too great a price for supporting it and sympathize with those who condemn it.
Academic text (2007) -
Maybe the use of the term is evidence of a breakdown in communication, but it's not a reflection of some social phenomenon wherein women perniciously sort their relationships into Would Fuck and Would.
Blog text (2) -
With his claim to ownership of Mary’s life, Raymond perniciously makes her consent irrelevant for two different reasons.
Academic text (2018) -
In the past, these decisions tended to be unidimensional, driven by subsistence needs, economic necessity, and, more perniciously because of increased desire for luxury consumption, perceived needs.
Academic text (1994) -
But this kind of idolatry is perniciously accomplished in chiliasm—the literal reduction of God's actions to the events of history.
Academic text (2006) -
But even the simplest form of this idea comes with two attendant metaphors: that of information and, perhaps even more perniciously, that of DNA as language, with the code used to interpret DNA symbols into meaningful proteins.
Academic text (1996) -
The disease spread perniciously through the population, causing harm before anyone realized it was there.
Synonyms
51
3.3
In a way that causes harm or makes something worse
10
7.1
In a way that wants to hurt someone or cause trouble
6
5.6
In a way that causes great harm or failure
5
6.3
In an evil and cruel way that harms other people
3
8.1
In a slow secret way that causes harm
3
4.2
In a way that causes harm or damage
3
6.7
In a way that causes great harm or damage
1
4.3
In a way that causes damage or hurts others
1
7.2
In a way that harms people or things
1
7.0
In a harmful or poisonous way
1
9.0
In a way that causes harm or damage
1
4.4
In a way that causes harm or bad results
1
7.3
To speak or act in a very hurtful and angry way
1
4.1
In a way that makes someone feel sad or in pain
1
8.9
In a very dishonest or illegal way
In a way that causes harm to someone or something
A harmful way that hurts people, animals, or plants
In a way that causes great harm
In a mean and harmful way
In a way that seems evil or threatening
Antonyms
How Harmful
2
6.8
3
4.2
- Formal
1
8.9
1
4.3
1
7.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
perniciously = pernicious (transparent) = pernicious + ly
Formed by a regular adjective-to-adverb suffixation from 'pernicious' to mean 'in a pernicious way', so the relation is directly derivable.
Etymology
Perniciously comes from the Latin word pernicies, meaning 'destruction', and it has the part per- meaning 'through'; it is also like the word noxious ('harmful'). So, to do something perniciously is to cause damage in a slow or hidden way.