SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
insidious
adjective
Developing subtly or gradually in a harmful way.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Subtly harmful
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topInsidious combines hidden or gradual development with harm; subtle by itself does not imply danger.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See insidious in use
The insidious spread of resentment weakened the team's cooperation.
An insidious alternative reduced maintenance time in tiny stages, hiding the harmful cumulative loss of working capacity until several tools could no longer be used.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license