different between cataclysmic vs deleterious

English

Etymology

From cataclysm +? -ic.

Adjective

cataclysmic (comparative more cataclysmic, superlative most cataclysmic)

1. Of or pertaining to a cataclysm; causing great destruction or upheaval; catastrophic.

   It is believed that a cataclysmic impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

   • 2005, Edmund White, My Women

     That’s why to be rejected in love was so cataclysmic: one had been judged and found wanting.

Related terms

• cataclysm
• cataclysmic variable star

Translations

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin deleterius, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (d?l?t?rios, “noxious, deleterious”), from ??????? (d?l?t?r, “a destroyer”), from ???????? (d?léomai, “I hurt, damage, spoil, waste”), 1640s.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d?l??t???i.?s/, /?d?l??t???i.?s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?d?l??t??i.?s/
• Rhymes: -??ri?s

Adjective

deleterious (comparative more deleterious, superlative most deleterious)

1. Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way.

   Synonyms: destructive, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious; see also Thesaurus:harmful
2. (genetics) having lower fitness.

Derived terms

• deleteriously
• deleteriousness

Related terms

• delete
• deletion
• deletory

Translations

Further reading

• deleterious at OneLook Dictionary Search
• deleterious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “deleterious”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

References