Insidiously

Insidiously
Insidious In*sid"i*ous, a. [L. insidiosus, fr. insidiae an ambush, fr. insidere to sit in; pref. in- + sedere to sit: cf. F. insidieux. See {Sit}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Lying in wait; watching an opportunity to insnare or entrap; deceitful; sly; treacherous; -- said of persons; as, the insidious foe. ``The insidious witch.'' --Cowper. [1913 Webster]

2. Intended to entrap; characterized by treachery and deceit; as, insidious arts. [1913 Webster]

The insidious whisper of the bad angel. --Hawthorne. [1913 Webster]

3. Acting or proceeding unobserved or in a seemingly harmless manner, but slowly or eventually doing great damage; as, an insidious disease; an insidious plot. [PJC]

{Insidious disease} (Med.), 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.

Syn: Crafty; wily; artful; sly; designing; guileful; circumventive; treacherous; deceitful; deceptive. -- {In*sid"i*ous*ly}, adv. -- {In*sid"i*ous*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • insidiously — insidious ► ADJECTIVE ▪ proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, with harmful effect. DERIVATIVES insidiously adverb insidiousness noun. ORIGIN Latin insidiosus cunning …   English terms dictionary

  • insidiously — adverb in a harmfully insidious manner (Freq. 2) these drugs act insidiously • Syn: ↑perniciously • Derived from adjective: ↑pernicious (for: ↑perniciously), ↑insi …   Useful english dictionary

  • insidiously — adverb see insidious …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • insidiously — See insidious. * * * …   Universalium

  • insidiously — adverb in an insidious manner …   Wiktionary

  • insidiously — adv. craftily, cunningly, deceitfully; in a subtly treacherous manner; in a deceptively harmless manner …   English contemporary dictionary

  • insidiously — in·sid·i·ous·ly …   English syllables

  • insidiously — See: insidious …   English dictionary

  • insidious — insidiously, adv. insidiousness, n. /in sid ee euhs/, adj. 1. intended to entrap or beguile: an insidious plan. 2. stealthily treacherous or deceitful: an insidious enemy. 3. operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way… …   Universalium

  • Níð — (Old Norse) (Anglo Saxon nith , Old High German (OHG) nid(d) , modern German form Neid , modern Low Saxon nied ) in ancient Germanic mythology was the constituting and qualifying attribute for people suspected of being a malicious mythological… …   Wikipedia

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