Lexic.us

Definition of Insidious

1. Adjective. Beguiling but harmful. "Insidious pleasures"

2. Adjective. Intended to entrap.

3. Adjective. Working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way. "A subtle poison"

Definition of Insidious

1. a. Lying in wait; watching an opportunity to insnare or entrap; deceitful; sly; treacherous; -- said of persons; as, the insidious foe.

Definition of Insidious

1. Adjective. Producing harm in a stealthy, often gradual, manner. ¹

2. Adjective. Intending to entrap; alluring but harmful ¹

3. Adjective. Treacherous. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Insidious

1. [adj]

Medical Definition of Insidious

1. 1. Lying in wait; watching an opportunity to insnare or entrap; deceitful; sly; treacherous; said of persons; as, the insidious foe. "The insidious witch." 2. Intended to entrap; characterised by treachery and deceit; as, insidious arts. "The insidious whisper of the bad angel. " (Hawthorne) Insidious disease, a disease existing, without marked symptoms, but ready to become active upon some slight occasion; a disease not appearing to be as bad as it really is. Synonym: Crafty, wily, artful, sly, designing, guileful, circumventive, treacherous, deceitful, deceptive. Insid"iously, Insid"iousness. Origin: L. Insidiosus, fr. Insidiae an ambush, fr. Insidere to sit in; pref. In- + sedere to sit: cf. F. Insidieux. See Sit. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Insidious

inside track inside trading insidely insideness insider insider dealing insider information insider trading insiderdom insiderish

insiderism insiderness insiders insidery insides insidious (current term) insidiously insidiousness insidiousnesses insiduous

insight insight learning insightful insightfully insightfulness insightless insights insigne insignia insignia of rank

Literary usage of Insidious

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for by American Philosophical Society (1903)
"Perhaps the most frequent and the most insidious cause of error in quantitative chemical research is the unsuspected presence of water. ..."

2. The Works of Washington Irving by Washington Irving (1861)
"GREENE TAKES COMMAND AT WEST POINT insidious ATTEMPTS ... insidious attempts had been made by anonymous papers, and other means, as we have already hinted, ..."

3. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1887)
"... by the most insidious arts, to re- move him from Alexandria, and to withdraw the allowance which supplied his popular liberality. ..."

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