Deleterious
Smoking sections of old airplanes, all-nighters before finals, and fine-print fees share this trait: harm that compounds quietly.
Learn This WordMeaning
Causing harm or damage; injurious to health, progress, or success.
Memory trick
DELETERIOUS sounds like “delete”, it harms or tears things down.
Examples
Sleep deprivation has a deleterious effect on judgment.
That incentive created deleterious behavior across the team.
A deleterious culture can erode trust faster than bad strategy.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Greek dēlētērios "noxious, destructive," from dēleisthai "to harm."
Usage Notes
Strong formal synonym for “harmful,” especially useful in academic, health, and policy contexts.
Real-life contexts
Use in analysis: "This shortcut may be deleterious long-term."
Use in health: "Chronic stress can be deleterious to sleep."
Use in policy: "The rule had deleterious side effects."
Common Mistakes
Deleterious refers to harmful effects, not simple inconvenience.
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Part of Speech
adjective
Difficulty
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