The BAD The VERY bad The BADDEST HARMFUL
BANEFUL Adj. Causing ruin; harmful; pernicious
BANEFUL A teacher’s BANEFUL comments about Becky destroyed her chances of getting into the Honor Society.
Adj. Harmful to one’s health or overall welfare; pernicious DELETERIOUS Adj. Harmful to one’s health or overall welfare; pernicious
DELETERIOUS Many processed foods contain chemicals and other ingredients which can be DELETERIOUS to our health.
DETRIMENTAL Adj. Harmful
DETRIMENTAL Smoking has a DETRIMENTAL effect on one’s health. The effect is DELETERIOUS.
DEVIOUS Dishonest & deceptive
DEVIOUS UNSCOM inspectors looking for WMDs in Iraq found Saddam Hussein’s minions not only not forthcoming, but actually most DEVIOUS.
Adj. Wicked, vicious; SINFUL INIQUITOUS Adj. Wicked, vicious; SINFUL
INIQUITOUS Eating a chocolate sundae for breakfast is absolutely INIQUITOUS, but evil never tasted so good!
Adj. Intending to hurt or harm another; spiteful MALICIOUS Adj. Intending to hurt or harm another; spiteful
MALICIOUS MALICIOUS gossip did irreparable harm to her reputation.
NEFARIOUS Adj. Very mean and wicked
NEFARIOUS The most henious of his many NEFARIOUS deeds was kidnapping the children of his rivals.
ODIOUS Adj. Loathsome; evil; revolting in a disgusting way
ODIOUS I can’t imagine a more ODIOUS crime than priestly pedophilia.
OMINOUS Adj. Pertaining to an evil omen; foreboding
OMINOUS The settlers viewed the gravestones along the trail as an OMINOUS sign of the hardships to come.
PERNICIOUS Adj. Very destructive or harmful, usually in an inconspicuous and relentless way
PERNICIOUS Lady Macbeth plants the PERNICIOUS seed of regicide in her husband’s mind and sets his feet firmly on the road to perdition.
Adj. Deeply hateful or spiteful; malicious RANCOROUS Adj. Deeply hateful or spiteful; malicious
RANCOROUS The RANCOROUS debate over whether or not Pres. Clinton’s impeachment impeded bipartisanship in the Congress.
Adj. Extremely poisonous; deadly; full of spiteful hatred VIRULENT Adj. Extremely poisonous; deadly; full of spiteful hatred
VIRULENT A particularly VIRULENT strain of flu is going around this year. I advise you to get an innoculation.