as in treacherous
formal
causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed
Most people with this insidious disease have no idea that they are infected. an insidious enemy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of insidious
Beck and Woods don’t have to dream up something alien when these kinds of garden-variety predators are all too insidious.
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Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024
Insufficient sleep is the most insidious sleep problem among older children.
—Lori Miller Kase, Parents, 30 Oct. 2024
Postpartum mental illnesses can be insidious and take many different forms, but the prosecution’s depiction of Lindsay challenged the stereotypical assumptions about insanity that had seemingly informed the public’s initial sympathy.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
However frivolous a word like beauty may sound, beauty, as a system, is often an insidious concept.
—Essence, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insidious 
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024
Insufficient sleep is the most insidious sleep problem among older children.
—Lori Miller Kase, Parents, 30 Oct. 2024
Postpartum mental illnesses can be insidious and take many different forms, but the prosecution’s depiction of Lindsay challenged the stereotypical assumptions about insanity that had seemingly informed the public’s initial sympathy.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
However frivolous a word like beauty may sound, beauty, as a system, is often an insidious concept.
—Essence, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insidious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insidious
Adjective
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Hawai`i’s statehood itself results from a treacherous cabal of business interests–Dole among them–conspiring together on a scheme to wrest control of the land away from Native Hawaiians and give it the U.S.Chadd Scott, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
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The Sunday evening and Monday morning commutes are likely to be treacherous.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The Cognac is complex, featuring plum, fig, and licorice notes, a rich, spicy finish, and subtle vanilla undertones.Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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The palate has a mix of caramel, cinnamon sugar, and subtle spice, which offers a rich, layered experience.Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Nashville) Letter:Trump's false claims on pet-eating scared me into hiding my cat.David Plazas, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
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That followed a pattern seen in CBS News analysis of his posts during the campaign season, when Musk frequently shared false narratives about the election and amplified extreme voices from the right-wing fringe to his millions of followers.CBS News, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Lilly has sent cease-and-desist letters to numerous compounding sellers, and both companies have filed lawsuits against numerous compounding pharmacies, alleging trademark infringement and deceptive marketing.Bob Woods, CNBC, 8 Dec. 2024
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Yes, but: Brandi Tuck, executive director of the nonprofit Path Home, has been working with homeless families for nearly two decades and says those numbers are likely deceptive undercounts.Kale Williams, Axios, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Since then, Putin has sought instead to rally the public to the defense of a motherland besieged by the perfidious and cunning West.Leon Aron, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024
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And in this new era of Sino-Western rivalry, the Olympics are also used by more nationalistic elements of the Chinese media as a way to portray China in a positive light against the perfidious Americans and Europeans.Alexander Smith, NBC News, 11 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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But the chances of an offer shared with applicants interested in NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies and Millennium High School were incorrect due to an error in the programs’ seat availability.Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024
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But an incorrect response loses any points the team might’ve already gained from this clue, and another team is allowed to steal.Devon Ivie, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Begiristain is being shown up not for signing bad players but for letting the wrong ones leave.Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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There’s nothing wrong with that New Year’s Eve drone show, or occasional other artistic and creative displays.New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near insidious
Cite this Entry
“Insidious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insidious. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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