baleful

[ beyl-fuhl ]
See synonyms for baleful on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious.

  2. Obsolete. wretched; miserable.

Origin of baleful

1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English bealofull.See bale2, -ful

Other words for baleful

Other words from baleful

  • bale·ful·ly, adverb
  • bale·ful·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with baleful

Words Nearby baleful

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use baleful in a sentence

  • A cry I was quite unable to suppress escaped me, and the creature turned on the instant and stared at me with baleful eyes.

    Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
  • As the animal crouched at Bascomb's feet, his baleful eyes turned in the boy's direction, and he growled menacingly.

    Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
  • Nita groaned, and looked down with loathing eyes at the baleful jewel that hung loosely on her wasted hand.

    They Looked and Loved | Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller
  • I feared, the "luck of the Le Moynes" and their baleful motto.

  • He had toiled until he held the baleful genie in a glass vessel partially filled with water, and the sprite could not be seen.

    Steam Steel and Electricity | James W. Steele

British Dictionary definitions for baleful

baleful

/ (ˈbeɪlfʊl) /


adjective
  1. harmful, menacing, or vindictive

  2. archaic dejected

Derived forms of baleful

  • balefully, adverb
  • balefulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012