baneful
Americanadjective
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a baneful superstition.
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Archaic. deadly; poisonous.
baneful herbs.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of baneful
Explanation
Anything that's baneful is destructive or disastrous. The effects of wildfires can be baneful, causing the loss of people's homes, health, and even their lives. The baneful effects of having an incredibly difficult math class at eight in the morning don't begin to compare to the baneful results of climate change. Still, feel free to use this archaic adjective for anything you consider to be extremely harmful. It comes from the noun bane and its Old English root, bana, which means not just "killer, slayer, murderer," but also "the devil."
Vocabulary lists containing baneful
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 1
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Metamorphoses
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The Farthest Shore
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gordon S. Wood did much to contest these baneful trends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
And in his farewell address, President Washington warned that “history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2019
Like Monroe, he wanted to rise above factions, and rejoiced upon taking office that “the baneful weed of party strife was uprooted,” but he found that his refusal to play favorites left him friendless.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
He set out to shame that baneful narrative.
From Washington Post
“I believe,” concluded Scott, “if Congress should at any time be of the opinion that a state of slavery was a quality inadmissible in America, they would not be barred...of prohibiting this baneful quality.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
