How to pronounce deleterious
American English pronunciation
del-ih-TEER-ee-us
- IPA
- /ˌdɛlɪˈtɪɹi.əs/
- Syllables
- del · ih · TEER · ee · us (5 syllables, stress on the 3rd)
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What deleterious means
Harmful, often in a way you don't notice at first
In a sentence: Too much sugar can have a deleterious effect on your teeth.
Where it comes from: It comes from a Greek word meaning harmful, from a word for a destroyer. It dates from the 1640s, and it isn't related to "delete."
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