Word a Day
deleterious
What does deleterious mean?
deleterious (adjective): harmful, often in a subtle or unexpected way.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use deleterious in a sentence?
- Deleterious chemical additives. (Princeton WordNet 3.1)
How do you pronounce deleterious?
/ˌdɛləˈtɪɹiəs/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does deleterious come from?
Adapted borrowing (1640s; 1582 as deletorious) of New Latin dēlētērius, dēlētōrius + -ous, from Ancient Greek δηλητήριος (dēlētḗrios, “noxious, deleterious”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “deleterious”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “deleterious” mean?
harmful, often in a subtle or unexpected way
Right! That's what “deleterious” means.
artfully cunning; secretly mischievous; wily
Not quite: that's what sly means.
providing nutrients; healthy to eat or drink
Not quite: that's what nutritious means.
so small as to be meaningless; insignificant
Not quite: that's what negligible means.
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