insidious
word
Definition
Describes something harmful that spreads or develops gradually and secretly, making it hard to detect until it becomes dangerous.
Usage & Nuances
Usually formal, often used to describe diseases, dangers, or problems that appear harmless but become serious over time. Common collocations: 'insidious disease', 'insidious effect'. Not the same as 'sneaky' or 'obvious'.
Spanish: insidioso - subrepticioPortuguese (BR): insidioso - traiçoeiroPortuguese (PT): insidioso - traiçoeiroChinese (Simplified): 潜伏的 - 阴险的Chinese (Traditional): 潛伏的 - 陰險的Hindi: कुटिल - धोखेबाज़Arabic: خبيث - تدريجي (ضار بطريقة خفية)Bengali: কঠিনভাবে ছড়িয়ে পড়া - গোপনে বিরূপ (ক্ষতিকর)Russian: незаметно вредный - коварныйJapanese: 知らず知らずに害を及ぼす - 陰湿なVietnamese: ngấm ngầm - âm ỉKorean: 알게 모르게 해로운 - 잠행성의Turkish: sinsi - sinsi bir şekilde yayılanUrdu: پر پَوشیدہ اور نقصان دہ - دُھیرے دُھیرے اثرانداز ہونے والاIndonesian: yang merayap secara diam-diam - yang berkembang perlahan dan berbahaya
Example Sentences
Cancer can be an insidious disease.
basic
Stress is insidious—you might not even notice it building up.
natural
It’s the insidious nature of cyber attacks that makes them so dangerous.
natural
The effects of pollution can be insidious.
basic
The virus has an insidious way of spreading.
basic
What’s so insidious about the rumor is how it spread without anyone noticing.
natural