as in treacherous
formal
causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed
Most people with this insidious disease have no idea that they are infected. an insidious enemy
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insidious
Amid the coming-out balls, proposals and a whopper of a divorce scandal, a more insidious theme emerged: the rise of fascism in Europe, and two of the sisters’ infatuation with it.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 24 June 2025
Sports nostalgia is one of the more insidious forms of the whole misty-watercolor-memories racket, as that first flush of fandom tends to coincide with a time when most of us lack so much as a nodding acquaintance with critical thinking.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 July 2025
Recently premiering at Tribeca, the documentary explores the war in Afghanistan and the insidious deception that the American public underwent.
—Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
Treating it as such is an insidious form of idolatry.
—Walt Shelton, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for insidious
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 24 June 2025
Sports nostalgia is one of the more insidious forms of the whole misty-watercolor-memories racket, as that first flush of fandom tends to coincide with a time when most of us lack so much as a nodding acquaintance with critical thinking.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 July 2025
Recently premiering at Tribeca, the documentary explores the war in Afghanistan and the insidious deception that the American public underwent.
—Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025
Treating it as such is an insidious form of idolatry.
—Walt Shelton, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for insidious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insidious
Adjective
-
In addition to some light-hearted banter between Thia and Dek, the trailer also gives viewers a look at the treacherous journey ahead of them.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
23 July 2025
-
Airplanes can be treacherous for people who use wheelchairs.—
Joseph Shapiro,
NPR,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
The wine exhibits a delicate mousse featuring citrus-lime zest, layered with brioche, pear, and subtle minerality.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
The combination adds layers of flavor and a subtle edge, giving the salsa the same flavor profile as a spicy version without any burn.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
He’s hosted several world leaders for explosive Oval Office sit downs, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who Trump argued with over false claims that white farmers in the country were victims of a genocide, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
Soliman's lawyers said the government's claims about Soliman and the Muslim Brotherhood are false.—
Victoria Moorwood,
The Enquirer,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
Amazon has prevailed in a class-action lawsuit that accused it of engaging in deceptive trade practices.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
19 July 2025
-
Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office sent CBZ and its constituent companies several subpoenas in September as investigators probed the chronically unsafe conditions of the companies’ properties, as well as allegations from tenants that CBZ had engaged in insurance fraud and deceptive practices.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
16 July 2025
Adjective
-
Those voting for it are Sean Elo-Rivera, Jennifer Campbell, Kent Lee, Stephen Whitburn, Vivian Moreno and La Jolla’s own Joe LaCava, who has been an active supporter of this perfidious plan.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 June 2025
-
Jake Gyllenhaal is his foil as the perfidious Iago, who goads Othello into unreasoning jealousy with lies about his beloved Desdemona (Molly Osborne).—
New York Times,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
One company statement referenced the video and stories related to it by pointing out incorrect information.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
-
Andy Byron has not put out any statement; reports saying otherwise are all incorrect.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
Adjective
-
There is nothing wrong with having adapted in this way.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
But new research shows that the intuitive assumption that the water is mostly newly melted snow or fresh rain is dead wrong.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insidious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insidious. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share