BharatNotes Insidious
adjectiveUsage in a UPSC answer
The most insidious threat to constitutional democracy is rarely an overt coup but the slow, lawful erosion of institutional checks, which hollows out accountability long before citizens recognise that their liberties have been compromised.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
insidiously (adv), insidiousness (n)
Root
Latin insidiosus = cunning, treacherous; insidiae = ambush; in- = in; sedere = to sit
Etymology
From Latin insidiosus 'cunning, treacherous', from insidiae 'ambush, snare, plot', from insidere 'to sit in/lie in wait for' (in- 'in, on' + sedere 'to sit'); entered English in the 1540s, partly via French insidieux.
Memory Hook
Think 'inside-ious': the danger sits INSIDE (Latin insidere, 'to sit in / lie in wait'), like an ambush hidden within — harm working quietly from inside before you notice.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
