Question

Read this sentence from Rebecca: Nature had come into her own again and, little by little, in her stealthy, insidious way had encroached upon the drive with long, tenacious fingers. What context clues would be helpful in figuring out the meaning of insidious as it is used in the sentence?

Answer 1

According to Oxford dictionary, insidious means: proceeding in a gradual,  subtle way, but with very harmful effects.  

In Rebecca's sentence, there are some context clues that help to decipher the meaning of  this word:  

• She uses a synonym context clue (stealthy )
• She uses punctuation (little by little)
• She also uses a tone clue when she  describes "Nature" as something that "encroaches... with long, tenacious fingers"  

Answer 2

Answer:

According to Oxford dictionary, insidious means: proceeding in a gradual,  subtle way, but with very harmful effects.  

In Rebecca's sentence, there are some context clues that help to decipher the meaning of  this word:  

Explanation:

• She uses a synonym context clue (stealthy )

• She uses punctuation (little by little)

• She also uses a tone clue when she  describes "Nature" as something that "encroaches... with long, tenacious fingers"