Origin: 1600-1700 Medieval Latin deleterius, from Greek deleisthai to hurt
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS►deleterious effects
the deleterious effects of smoking
Thesaurus
THESAURUScausing harm, or likely to cause harm►harmful
causing harm, or likely to cause harm: The harmful effects of smoking are well known. Wash the fruit to remove harmful bacteria.
►poisonous
containing a substance that can kill you or make you sick if you eat it, breathe it, etc.: She was bitten by a poisonous snake and had to go to the hospital.
►toxic
poisonous. Used especially about chemicals: Burning tires produces toxic fumes.
►damaging
causing physical damage or harmful effects: The researchers are studying the damaging effects of alcohol on the brain.
►detrimental
formal harmful or damaging to something: Fatty foods are detrimental to your health.
►destructive
causing something to be destroyed: A large population of deer can be very destructive to woodlands.
►deleterious
formal damaging or harmful: The treatment is supposed to reverse some of the deleterious effects of aging.
damaging or harmful: the deleterious effects of smoking► see thesaurus at harmful