Wordie Wednesday: insidious
adjective
UK /ɪnˈsɪd.i.əs/ US /ɪnˈsɪd.i.əs/
(of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm:
High blood pressure is an insidious condition which has few symptoms.
The alarm buzzed urgently. Awaking with a start, Deanna slapped her hand onto the button, turned on the radio and sank back into the pillow. It was still dark outside, although the LED streetlights cast a dim glow around the room through a crack in the curtains.
“In today’s news, the premier has opened up the greenbelt to developers. . .” The radio announcer’s tone belied the sense of despair that had settled over the province in the past few months.
Deanna felt it, too.
Not getting out of bed today, she thought. A restless night meant she felt exhausted this morning. And she thought about the effort it would take to get into the shower and get ready for work. She just couldn’t do it. Her eyes felt the weight of the exhaustion, and the duvet’s warmth enveloped her.
She closed her eyes and pulled the pillow around her head, closing her ears to the numbing newscast. The malaise creeped in, seeping into her bones through soft tissue and cartilage. It made her skin prickle. Insidious, moaning thoughts crowded her brain.