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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insidious
Measures like insuring that a soror’s skin color is no darker than a paper bag may have fallen out of fashion, but more insidious forms of prejudice persist.
—
Jazmine Hughes, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Breed’s supporters stand by her, hailing her as a homegrown champion who has led the city during a period of crisis that included a global pandemic and the insidious rise of fentanyl.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
Reinforcing Negative Cycles One of the most insidious effects of emotional mirroring is the reinforcement of negative emotional cycles.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
Sidetracked by a career-threatening injury and taken in by those insidious old devil worshippers the Castavets, Terry finds her life — and career — on the upswing.
—Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insidious 
Jazmine Hughes, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Breed’s supporters stand by her, hailing her as a homegrown champion who has led the city during a period of crisis that included a global pandemic and the insidious rise of fentanyl.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
Reinforcing Negative Cycles One of the most insidious effects of emotional mirroring is the reinforcement of negative emotional cycles.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024
Sidetracked by a career-threatening injury and taken in by those insidious old devil worshippers the Castavets, Terry finds her life — and career — on the upswing.
—Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for insidious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insidious
Adjective
-
Another round of winter weather will sweep across Colorado’s Front Range and Eastern Plains on Friday, with forecasters expecting treacherous road conditions and nearly 3 feet of snow in some areas.Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2024
-
Explaining electoral college math feels easy peasy (thank you, genius New York Times graphics) compared to the treacherous emotional terrain many of us will cross this week.Chloe Schama, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
But even without winning an Editors' Choice award, the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro commands attention with some subtle new features.Brian Westover, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
-
The puzzle challenges players to group words based on subtle links, combining logic with language skills.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Bear in mind that his campaign was replete with false claims — about immigration, jobs, inflation, crime and more.Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
-
Oz is the Penguin now — like everyone in Batman’s Rogues Gallery, a caricature of his own trauma, drawn to criminal means of false liberation.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
But deceptive narrative and form are not what wreaked havoc on Catherine’s life.Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
-
See Arizona election results | Live coverage on Election Day Labor activists, on the other hand, have called the measure a deceptive sham.Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
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
-
If Washington’s forays are conspicuous and its aims perfidious, its partners will not abet the next undertaking.Mira Rapp-Hooper, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2019
Adjective
-
And when Reuters reported in April that Tesla had canceled plans for a $25,000 EV to focus on its robotaxi, Musk said the article was incorrect.Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 6 Nov. 2024
-
But that hasn’t quieted Burgess, who says incorrect voter data wound up in the new system.Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
While his mom and dad knew something was wrong, doctors said Elijah was fine — then he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
-
That's because pollsters failed to capture support for Trump in 2016 and 2020, so to avoid being wrong again are likely weighing the polls in his favor.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near insidious
Cite this Entry
“Insidious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insidious. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share