Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Insidious"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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}.]
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.
2. Intended to entrap; characterized by treachery and deceit;
as, insidious arts.
The insidious whisper of the bad angel. --Hawthorne.
{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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
insidious
adj 1: beguiling but harmful; "insidious pleasures"
2: intended to entrap
3: working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way;
"glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison"
[syn: {pernicious}, {subtle}]
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