The phrase "a pernicious thing" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is harmful or destructive, often in a subtle or gradual way.
Example: "The spread of misinformation on social media can be a pernicious thing, leading to widespread confusion and distrust."
Alternatives: "a harmful thing" or "a damaging thing".
The closet is a pervasive and pernicious thing.
"The pernicious thing when trying to create a high performance culture is not weak performers -- weak performers are easy to deal with," said Ciancutti, whose last position at Netflix was vice president of product engineering.
The most pernicious thing about victory blindness is that it inspires a change in tactic.
"I really found the most pernicious thing in prison was feeling sorry for yourself".
The most pernicious thing about institutionalised homophobia and legal repression is that they make this realisation so hard.
He added: "The way they have gone about this seems absolutely ghastly; the really pernicious thing is the secrecy with which it has all been done".
In his otherwise excellent article, David Leonhardt misses the single most pernicious thing done tax-wise during the Reagan era to favor the rich.
They're multiplying like mad — like rabbits with hooves, tusks and an epic sense of entitlement — especially here in Texas, where an estimated 2.6 million of them routinely desecrate farmland by rooting up crops, decimate reptile populations by snacking on them, devour feed meant for livestock and probably do some other pernicious thing beginning in "de-" that won't come to me right now.
"One of the really pernicious things about sequestration is it is a slow stranglehold as opposed to an immediate stopping of essential government services.
To the list of pernicious things that have not happened at this World Cup, add one more: a spike in the sex trade.
