Pronunciation: [dɪlɪtˈi͡əɹɪəs] (IPA) 
The word "deleterious" is spelled with the IPA phonetic transcription /ˌdɛləˈtɪriəs/. The "dele" is pronounced with a "d" sound followed by "eh" as in "bed," and "luh" as in "love." The "te" is pronounced with a "t" sound followed by "ih" as in "sit," and "luh." The "ri" is pronounced with "r" followed by "ih" and "uh." Finally, the "ous" is pronounced with "uh" followed by "s" as in "see." The word means harmful or damaging.
The term "deleterious" is an adjective used to describe something that has a harmful or damaging effect on someone or something. It refers to actions, substances, or conditions that cause detriment or adverse consequences.
When something is described as deleterious, it implies that it poses a potential danger or threat to the well-being, health, or overall quality of something or someone. It suggests that the effect is negative and undesirable, leading to harmful consequences or repercussions.
For example, when applied to a substance, such as a chemical or drug, "deleterious" indicates that it can cause harm or damage to living organisms or the environment. In the context of health, it is often associated with the detrimental impact of a behavior, habit, or lifestyle choice on an individual's physical or mental well-being.
The term is also used to characterize actions, decisions, or policies that have a detrimental effect on a particular group, organization, or society as a whole. It suggests that these actions or decisions result in negative consequences and impede progress or growth.
Overall, "deleterious" is an adjective that definitively signifies that something is harmful, destructive, or damaging, highlighting the negative and adverse effects it has on a person, thing, or situation.
Injurious, noxious, harmful.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
• Poisonous; pernicious.
• Having the quality of injuring or destroying; destructive; injurious; pernicious.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word deleterious originates from the Latin term deleterius, which is derived from the verb deletere, meaning to destroy or to injure.
