Pernicious

Meaning

Having a harmful or destructive effect, especially in a subtle or gradual way that is not immediately obvious

Origin / Etymology

Latin perniciosus, pernicies (destruction, ruin)

Synonyms

Harmful Detrimental Insidious Deleterious

Antonyms

Beneficial Benign Salutary Helpful

Example Sentence

"Loan waiver politics has a pernicious effect on credit culture, borrowers begin to anticipate forgiveness, creating moral hazard and discouraging repayment."

🎯 UPSC Usage

Strong negative adjective for Mains answers and essays. Use when a policy or practice has long-term hidden costs: 'pernicious effects of fiscal populism', 'pernicious cycle of poverty', 'the pernicious influence of money in elections'. Stronger than 'harmful' because it implies the damage is gradual, deep, and not always visible.

Relevant Subjects