Dictionary
baleful
adjective bale·ful \-fəl\
: threatening harm or evil
: harmful or deadly
Full Definition of BALEFUL
1
: deadly or pernicious in influence <baleful effects>
2
: foreboding or threatening evil <a baleful look>
— bale·ful·ly \-fə-lē\ adverb
— bale·ful·ness \-fəl-nəs\ noun
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First Known Use of BALEFUL
before 12th century
Related to BALEFUL
- Synonyms
- ominous, dire, direful, doomy, foreboding, ill, ill-boding, inauspicious, menacing, minatory, portentous, sinister, threatening
- Antonyms
- unthreatening
Synonym Discussion of BALEFUL
sinister, baleful, malign mean seriously threatening evil or disaster. sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer <a sinister aura haunts the place>. baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly <exerting a corrupt and baleful influence>. malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful <the malign effects of racism>.
Rhymes with BALEFUL
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