deleterious

adjective
UK: /ˌdelɪˈtɪəriəs/
US: /ˌdelɪˈtɪriəs/

  1. Causing harm or damage.

    1. Smoking has a deleterious effect on your health.
    2. The chemical spill had a deleterious impact on the local ecosystem, harming wildlife.

  2. Having a negative or destructive influence.

    1. Gossip is deleterious to friendships.
    2. The constant criticism had a deleterious effect on her self-esteem, making her withdrawn.

Synonyms

damaging injurious detrimental pernicious harmful

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "deleterious" in English means: Causing harm or damage., Having a negative or destructive influence..

The phonetic transcription of "deleterious" is /ˌdelɪˈtɪəriəs/ in British English and /ˌdelɪˈtɪriəs/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "deleterious": damaging, injurious, detrimental, pernicious, harmful.

Example usage of "deleterious": "Smoking has a deleterious effect on your health.". More examples on the page.