LESSON 11 : The Bad, the Very Bad, and the Baddest Words Relating to Harmful or Mean

1. LESSON 11: The Bad, the Very Bad, and the Baddest Words Relating to Harmful or Mean

2. Baneful • My campus visit was baneful. When it was over, I resolved never to go near the place again. • A teacher’s baneful comments about Becky destroyed her chances of getting into the Honor Society. • Norman’s baneful remark about Nora’s hair ruined the rest of her day. Adjective • Causing ruin; harmful; pernicious

3. Deleterious • PCBs and other harmful pollutants have had a deleterious effect on fish in the Hudson River. • Many processed foods contain chemicals and other ingredients that can be deleterious to our health. • The arrogance of the new principal had a deleterious effect on the morale of the school’s staff and students. Adjective • Harmful to one’s health or overall welfare; pernicious

4. Detrimental • To the detriment of its Nielsen ratings, Friends went on the air at the same time as Survivor and lost 25 percent of its audience. • Smoking is known to be detrimental to your health. • The trouble Steve caused had a detrimental effect on the class’s test scores. Adjective • Harmful

5. Devious • The sly, devious fox outwitted the farmer and broke into the henhouse. • Russ is too devious to trust with the keys to the equipment closet. • The neighbors could not believe that someone as upright as Hanssen could be so devious. Adjective • Dishonest or deceptive; tricky

6. Iniquitous • The iniquitous referee plainly favored the other team over ours. Every call went against our team. • Income tax cuts that benefit the wealthy will only further the iniquitous economic divide between the wealthy and the less fortunate. • Iniquity has no place in a courtroom dedicated to justice. Adjective • Showing a lack of fairness; wicked; vicious

7. Malicious • By the show’s end, the heckler’s insensitive remarks became downright malicious. • Malicious gossip did irreparable harm to Hans’ reputation. • To save his own neck, Borismaliciously accused Beatrice of a crime she didn’t commit. Adjective • Intending to hurt or harm another; spiteful

8. Nefarious • Of all the rotten scoundrels in the story, Sebastian was the most nefarious. • His desire to get a conviction caused the nefarious police officer to plant incriminating evidence at the scene of the crime. • Extortion of other kids’ lunch money is just one example of Hubert’s nefariousness. Adjective • Very mean and wicked

9. Odious • John has the odious habit of clipping his toenails in class. • I can’t imagine a more odious crime than child abuse. • Steerforth was an odious character who betrayed his friends and told nothing but lies. Adjective • Loathsome; evil; revolting in a disgusting way

10. Ominous • The dark clouds on the horizon looked ominous. • The settlers considered the gravestones alongside the trail ominous signs of hardships to come. • Superstitious people regard broken mirrors and black cats as ominous. Adjective • Pertaining to an evil omen; foreboding

11. Pernicious • The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation’s stability. • Cigarette smoke caused a pernicious growth to form in Mr. Down’s lungs. Eventually, the malignancy killed him. • Lady Macbeth planted in her husband’s mind the pernicious scheme of killing the king and seizing the crown. Adjective • Very destructive or harmful, usually in an inconspicuous and relentless way

12. Rancorous • The conversation turned rancorous when Louis and Max started to argue. • A rancorous feud between two families lies at the heart of Romeo and Juliet. • I once felt bitter about her deception, but now I’ve lost my rancor. Adjective • Deeply hateful or spiteful; malicious

13. Virulent • Rattlesnakes are virulent; their poison can be fatal. • Although the fumes seem harmless, they are extremely virulent. • Bubonic plague was a virulent disease that killed millions in medieval Europe. Adjective • Extremely poisonous; deadly; full of spiteful hatred