HOW TO PRONOUNCE
pernicious
/pɚˈnɪʃəs/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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Stress “ni” and finish with “shus.”
Use the short i vowel in the middle. The cious ending contributes one light syllable beginning with sh, rather than a hard k.
3 syllables · Stress on syllable 2
TRY SAYING
“The article discusses a pernicious rumor.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does pernicious mean?
adjective
- Causing much harm in a subtle way.
- Causing death or injury; deadly.
- Insidiously villainous: intending to cause harm, especially in a subtle way.
More meanings (1)
adjective
- (obsolete) swift; celeritous.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/pɚˈnɪʃəs/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
It will furnish absolute security which makes the proposed scheme of government guaranty of deposits so alluring, without its pernicious results.
If some socialists fail to recognize the useful side of competition, you on your side make no mention of its pernicious effects.
More book examples (3)
But though the whole debt were owing to the inhabitants of the country, it would not, upon that account, be less pernicious.
Like the swindling of pathological liars, it appears objectively more pernicious than the lying, but it is an expression of the same tendency.
In lieu of the wholesome stimulus he might derive from nature, you drive him to the pernicious excitement to be gained from art.