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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of insidious
Now that the wildfires have been contained, a more insidious and enduring threat looms over Los Angeles, posed by the invisible, potentially lethal toxins the flames unleashed.
—
Elycia Rubin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2025
This is the insidious nature of coercive control—a pattern of behaviors designed to strip away your independence, self-confidence and sense of reality.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
But another gesture soon after has sent observers questioning whether Musk was expressing just joy, or something more insidious.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 21 Jan. 2025
But even more insidious are the foreign governments with bot farms doing the same engagement farming.
—Rochelle Eastman, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insidious
Elycia Rubin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2025
This is the insidious nature of coercive control—a pattern of behaviors designed to strip away your independence, self-confidence and sense of reality.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
But another gesture soon after has sent observers questioning whether Musk was expressing just joy, or something more insidious.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 21 Jan. 2025
But even more insidious are the foreign governments with bot farms doing the same engagement farming.
—Rochelle Eastman, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insidious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insidious
Adjective
-
Whiteout conditions are possible and could make travel conditions treacherous and potentially life-threatening.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The climate, meanwhile, continues on a treacherous path of warming.—
Brent Crane,
The New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Superyacht designers have begun to navigate the cultural preferences of their clientele by redefining yacht interiors in subtle but significant ways.—
Tristan Rutherford,
Robb Report,
2 Mar. 2025
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These devices are more precise and subtle than old fashioned metal detectors, using specific sensitivity settings and artificial intelligence to detect hidden weapons as opposed to harmless items such as keys and phones, allowing people to enter facilities with very little delay.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In those documents, West discussed not only how to conduct experiments to implant false memories, instill specific mental disorders, and induce trance states, but also how to hide them.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
8 Mar. 2025
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To illustrate, in the United Kingdom vaccinations took a considerable dip in the early 2000s after Wakefield’ false claims of a link between the MMR shot and autism were posted in the media.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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False Hope And Fake Assurances Ransomware operators also exploit victims with false assurances, creating a deceptive sense of hope that there is a way to resolve the situation.—
Stu Sjouwerman,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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That’s the film’s greatest surprise, its secret deceptive pitch.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Jake Gyllenhaal is his foil as the perfidious Iago, who goads Othello into unreasoning jealousy with lies about his beloved Desdemona (Molly Osborne).—
New York Times,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
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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
Adjective
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In housing, there are numerous examples of how incorrect data has led to adverse decisions affecting people’s lives.—
State Sen. James Maroney,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2025
-
But parents and activists say the numbers are incorrect since the campus consists of newer buildings, constructed decades after the school opened, and older buildings from 1957 that are used for storage, not instruction.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Agency leaders must also be mindful of compliance—misleading ads not only attract the wrong people but also risk legal trouble.—
Arnold Sotelo,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
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Other indicators consistently suggested Trump had the upper hand, such as weak Biden approval ratings, belief that the country was on the wrong track, and the strength of candidates on the main issue, inflation.—
Clifford Young,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insidious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insidious. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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