- 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.
(noun) A complicated and confusing situation that is extremely difficult to escape or make progress through.
What began as a simple contract dispute had become a morass of litigation, counter-claims, and procedural delays that no one involved could see the end of.
Morass derives from the Dutch moeras, meaning “marsh” or “swamp,” itself from the Old French marais — “marsh.” It entered English in the 17th century with its literal meaning of boggy, waterlogged ground before quickly acquiring its figurative sense of any situation that traps and exhausts in the same way a physical swamp does — something that looks passable until you’re already in it and discovering that every step forward costs more than the last.