deleterious habit

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "deleterious habit" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a harmful or damaging behavior that negatively affects a person's health or well-being. Example: "Smoking is a deleterious habit that can lead to serious health issues over time."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

He can put an end to the West's deleterious habit of treating the Middle East's potentates respectfully and the Muslim citizenry like children.

The New York Times

Nail biting, a deleterious habit that may increase when the child feels anxiety, worried or stressed, was also not associated with SB [ 28, 29].

BMC Oral Health

However, malocclusions could have a physiological resolution if the deleterious habit is interrupted until 4 years of age, because until this age the body has the capacity for self-correction of malocclusion [ 27].

BMC Oral Health

Therefore, more emphasis should be put on the acquisition of ergonomics knowledge during the early years of dental programs in order to allow students to apply their theoretical ergonomics knowledge to their clinical practice and help preventing deleterious habit formation [ 40].

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

The current study was designed to determine prevalence of various tongue lesions and their association with age, gender, systemic illness, deleterious habits, and distribution over the surfaces of tongue.

Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research

In particular, we exclusion subjects with psychiatric diseases or first degree relatives of psychiatric patients, as well as of those with deleterious habits, such as alcoholism or substance abuse.

Plosone

First, we excluded subjects with neurological or psychiatric diseases (or first degree relatives of psychiatric patients), as well as of those with deleterious habits, such as alcoholism or substance abuse, given their relationship with religiosity [69], [70] and their effect on regional grey matter [71], [72].

Plosone

During pregnancy, in the first part of the major research, mothers received orientation about oral health and deleterious habits.

BMC Oral Health

Table  2 presents a similar frequency of 47.7% for the term group and 56.2% for the pre-term group, including deleterious habits such as the use of pacifiers and finger sucking habit.

BMC Pediatrics

In a study on this same cohort in SL, a higher prevalence of emotional symptoms was observed among children of mothers without a companion or living in consensual union [ 36], a fact that may explain in part the higher prevalence of these deleterious habits in these children.

BMC Public Health

Although the association of children's OHRQoL and variables like location of origin of parents in relation to study location, deleterious habits in the family, mother's dental anxiety and use of dental services were significant, the evidence is not strong enough as the data supporting their relationship with the outcome is only from one study.

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about health or lifestyle, use "deleterious habit" to add a formal tone, suggesting a serious and potentially long-term negative impact.

Common error

Avoid using "deleterious habit" in informal contexts. Simpler terms like "bad habit" or "harmful behavior" may be more appropriate for casual conversations or less formal writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "deleterious habit" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "deleterious" modifies the noun "habit". It's used to describe a habit that is harmful or damaging. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and usability in English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

75%

News & Media

25%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "deleterious habit" is a grammatically sound construction used to describe a harmful or damaging behavior, as confirmed by Ludwig. While not very common, it appears most frequently in scientific and news media contexts, lending itself well to formal and precise communication. Alternatives such as "harmful behavior" or "damaging practice" exist for less formal settings. Ludwig's analysis suggests that using "deleterious habit" adds a layer of seriousness and emphasizes the potentially long-term negative consequences of the habit in question.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Harmful behavior

Replaces the formal "deleterious habit" with a more common and straightforward term.

Damaging practice

Substitutes "habit" with "practice", emphasizing the action rather than the ingrained nature of the behavior, and "damaging" for "deleterious".

Destructive routine

Replaces "habit" with "routine", highlighting the repetitive nature of the behavior, and "destructive" for "deleterious".

Unhealthy custom

Uses "unhealthy" to describe the habit and "custom" as a synonym.

Detrimental pattern

Replaces "habit" with "pattern", suggesting a recurring sequence of actions, and replaces "deleterious" with "detrimental".

Adverse behavior

Uses a different adjective, "adverse", to describe the nature of the behavior.

Noxious practice

Replaces "deleterious" with "noxious", indicating a harmful or poisonous quality, and substitutes "habit" with "practice".

Injurious conduct

Replaces "habit" with "conduct" to refer to the way someone acts, and "deleterious" with "injurious".

Counterproductive behavior

Focuses on the inefficiency and negative outcomes of the behavior.

Negative habit

Offers a simple alternative using the general adjective "negative".

FAQs

How can I use "deleterious habit" in a sentence?

You can use "deleterious habit" to describe actions such as, "Smoking is a "deleterious habit" that can lead to serious health issues over time".

What are some alternatives to the phrase "deleterious habit"?

You can use alternatives like "harmful behavior", "damaging practice", or "unhealthy custom" depending on the specific context.

What distinguishes "deleterious habit" from "bad habit"?

"Deleterious habit" is more formal and implies a more significant and harmful impact compared to the simpler and more general term "bad habit".

Is "deleterious habit" appropriate for informal writing?

While grammatically correct, "deleterious habit" is better suited for formal or scientific writing. In informal contexts, using phrases like "bad habit" or "harmful behavior" is generally more appropriate.