Insidious Definition

ĭn-sĭdē-əs
adjective
Characterized by treachery or slyness; crafty; wily.
Webster's New World
Working harm in a slow or subtle manner; hence, more dangerous than seems evident.
An insidious disease.
Webster's New World
Intended to entrap; treacherous.
Insidious misinformation.
American Heritage
Beguiling but harmful; alluring.
Insidious pleasures.
American Heritage
The definition of insidious is something or someone who works in a subtle or sly way, or in an intent to trap.
An example of insidious is a plan that is meant to scam people out of money.
YourDictionary
Advertisement

Origin of Insidious

  • From Middle French insidieux, from Latin īnsidiōsus (“cunning, artful, deceitful”), from īnsidiae (“a lying in wait, an ambush, artifice, stratagem”) + -ōsus, from īnsideō (“to sit in or on”), from in (“in, on”) + sedeō (“to sit”).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Latin īnsidiōsus from īnsidiae ambush from īnsidēre to sit upon, lie in wait for in- in, on in–2 sedēre to sit sed- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to insidious using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

insidious
Advertisement