Today's Word

Pernicious

per-NISH-us

Definition

(adjective) Causing harm in a gradual or subtle way.

Example

Unchecked misinformation can have a pernicious effect on public trust.

Fun Fact

Back in the 15th century, pernicious was a word used to describe deadly disease or outright destruction—especially during outbreaks and plagues. But over time, its meaning shifted from the obvious to the insidious. Today, it’s used to describe things like toxic relationships, systemic inequality, or manipulative rhetoric—all of which may not seem dangerous at first, but quietly cause real harm over time.

Previous Words

Wanton

Today's Word

Wanton

WON-tun

Definition

(adjective) Deliberate and unprovoked; showing a reckless disregard for consequences, rules, or the wellbeing of others.

Example

The wanton destruction left behind after the riot shocked even the most seasoned first responders who arrived on scene.

Word Origin

From Middle English wantoun, formed from wan- (lacking) + toun, an old past participle of teon, meaning “to discipline or bring up.” Literally, then, wanton described someone who had been brought up without discipline — undirected, unrestrained, ungoverned. The word appears in English as early as the 14th century, initially carrying connotations of lasciviousness and moral looseness before broadening into its modern sense of reckless, unprovoked disregard.

Fun Fact

The word wanton has had a remarkably busy history across English literature, shifting meaning with almost every century. In medieval writing it often described sexual promiscuity. By the Renaissance it had expanded to cover playful mischief — Shakespeare uses it in both senses across different plays. By the 18th and 19th centuries it had settled primarily into its modern sense of deliberate, needless cruelty or destruction. Today it appears most often in legal and journalistic contexts — “wanton disregard” is a specific standard in tort law, sitting between negligence and intentional misconduct, describing behavior so reckless it demonstrates indifference to the harm it causes.

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Pernicious

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Wanton

Wanton

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Wanton

Laconic

Ribald

Cavort

Abnegation