Definition of "pernicious" []

• Tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly: a pernicious virus. (adjective)
• Causing great harm; destructive: pernicious rumors. (adjective)
• Archaic Evil; wicked. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It is time to undertake the reform of what I call a pernicious prejudice."
• "My eyes overflow, my dear Pauline; and Maitland will chide me for indulging what he calls a pernicious sensibility."
• "It skews consumption and investment in pernicious ways."