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Insidious vs Clandestine - What's the difference?

insidious | clandestine | Synonyms |

Insidious is a synonym of clandestine.


As adjectives the difference between insidious and clandestine

is that insidious is producing harm in a stealthy, often gradual, manner while clandestine is done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.

insidious

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Producing harm in a stealthy, often gradual, manner.
  • * 1847 , George Lippard, The Quaker City: or, The monks of Monk-Hall
    • Strong and vigorous man as he looks, Livingstone has been for years the victim of a secret and insidious disease.
  • * 1997 , Matthew Wood, The book of herbal wisdom: using plants as medicine
    • At some point in time they may become the source of an insidious cancer.
  • * 2007 , Sharon Weinstein, Ada Lawrence Plumer, Principles and practice of intravenous therapy
    • The nurse always must be alert to signs of slow leak or insidious infiltration.
  • Intending to entrap; alluring but harmful.
  • * Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • The insidious whisper of the bad angel.
  • * 1948 , D.V. Chitaley (editor or publisher), All India Reporter , volume 3, page 341:
    • All these facts clearly appear to me now to establish that the sanctioned scheme was a part of a bigger and […] more insidious scheme which was to hoodwink the creditors and to firmly establish and consolidate the position […]
  • * 1969 , Dorothy Brewster, John Angus Burrell, Dead reckonings in fiction
    • The atmosphere of this insidious city comes out to meet him the moment he touches the European shore; for in London he meets Maria Gostrey just over from France.
  • * 2005 , Anita Desai, Voices in the City , page 189:
    • This seemed to her the worst defilement into which this insidious city had cheated her and in her agitation, she nearly ran into the latrine, […]
  • * 2007 , Joseph Epstein, Narcissus Leaves the Pool , page 171:
    • This is the insidious way sports entrap you: you follow a player, which commits you to his team. You begin to acquire scraps of utterly useless information about teammates, managers, owners, trainers, agents, lawyers.
    Hansel and Gretel were lured by the witch’s insidious gingerbread house.
  • (nonstandard) Treacherous.
  • * 1858 , Phineas Camp Headley, The life of the Empress Josephine: first wife of Napoleon
    • But with whom do you contract that alliance? With the natural enemy of France — that insidious house of Austria — which detests our country from feeling, system, and necessity.
  • * 1912 , Ralph Straus, The prison without a wall
    • ‘Believe me,’ he shouted, ‘these insidious folk talk dangerous nonsense. I hear they are spouting out their ridiculous platitudes not five miles from this park in which we are standing…’
    The battle was lost due to the actions of insidious defectors.

    Derived terms

    * insidiously * insidiousness

    References

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    clandestine

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.
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  • * 2004 — (Penny Arcade)
    • In my imagination, all work place encounters between men and women result in clandestine sex.
  • * 2005 — (Stewart Lee), 90's Comedian DVD''
    • And I don't want anyone to think I dislike Catholicism because I don't. It's actually my favourite form of clandestine global evil.
  • (freemasonry, of a person or lodge) Not recognized as a regular member.

    • Synonyms

    * (done in secret) covert, furtive, hush-hush, secret, secretive, undercover * See also

    Related terms

    * clandestinely ----