baleful

[ beyl-fuhl ]
/ ˈbeɪl fəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR baleful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious.
Obsolete. wretched; miserable.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of baleful

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

OTHER WORDS FROM baleful

bale·ful·ly, adverbbale·ful·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH baleful

baleful baneful

Words nearby baleful

balearic islands, baleboste, baleen, baleen whale, balefire, baleful, balenciaga, baler, balestra, balewa, balfour
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to baleful

calamitous, deadly, dire, evil, foreboding, harmful, hurtful, injurious, malevolent, malignant, noxious, ominous, pernicious, ruinous, sinister, threatening, venomous, vindictive, woeful

Example sentences from the Web for baleful

British Dictionary definitions for baleful

baleful
/ (ˈbeɪlfʊl) /

adjective

harmful, menacing, or vindictive
archaic dejected

Derived forms of baleful

balefully, adverbbalefulness, 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