insidiousness
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in·sid·i·ous
(ĭn-sĭd′ē-əs)adj.
1. Working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner: insidious rumors; an insidious disease.
2. Intended to entrap; treacherous: insidious misinformation.
3. Beguiling but harmful; alluring: insidious pleasures.
[From Latin īnsidiōsus, from īnsidiae, ambush, from īnsidēre, to sit upon, lie in wait for : in-, in, on; see in-2 + sedēre, to sit; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]
in·sid′i·ous·ly adv.
in·sid′i·ous·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | insidiousness - subtle and cumulative harmfulness (especially of a disease) harmfulness, injuriousness - destructiveness that causes harm or injury |
2. | insidiousness - the quality of being designed to entrap |
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